Why I built my own portfolio template

I’ve reviewed a lot of developer portfolios recently — including my own old one — and I noticed the same issues again and again:

• cluttered UI
• too many colors and gradients
• animations that distract instead of guide
• project cards with zero context
• slow Lighthouse scores
• painful mobile experience

Most portfolios end up being:

“Here are some GitHub links and a big hero headline”

• But a portfolio is supposed to:
• communicate your role
• show real outcomes, not just tech stack
• tell a short story
• make it super clear how to contact you

So I decided to design and build a clean, modern portfolio template focused on UX first, then visuals — using:

• Next.js (App Router)
• React 19
• Tailwind CSS v4
• TypeScript
• Framer Motion

The design goals

When I started the design, I wrote down 6 rules:

1. readable first, pretty second
2. fewer colors, more whitespace
3. minimal but meaningful motion
4. projects tell stories, not just tech stacks
5. must be blazing fast on mobile
6. content structure should be easy to customize

That’s what guided everything else.

UX decisions I made (and why)

🧭 Navigation

• I avoided complex nav layouts.
• sticky, simple top navbar
• clear sections: Home, About, Projects, Contact
• visible call-to-action for “Contact” The goal was don’t make the user think.

🧑‍💻 Hero section

Instead of buzzwords like:

“Full-stack ninja rockstar developer”

I optimized for:

• who you are
• what you do
• what problem you solve

Plus a visible CTA such as View Projects or Download Resume.

💼 Projects section

This is where most portfolios fail.

Instead of only:

• title
• tech used

I structured project cards around:

• problem
• solution
• impact / result
• screenshot preview

This makes it usable for recruiters and clients, not just developers.

📝 About section

No huge autobiographies.

Just:

• current role
• brief background
• tools you use
• what you enjoy building

Short and scannable.

📱 Mobile experience matters

The template is fully responsive, meaning it works great on mobile, tablet, and desktop sizes. While it is not strictly “mobile-first” in terms of development approach, I still paid close attention to how it feels on smaller screens.

Focus points:

• important buttons are easy to tap
• text remains readable without zooming
• images are optimized to reduce load time
• layout stays clean instead of cramped
• animations perform smoothly on mobile devices

The goal was simply:

the portfolio should feel just as good on a phone as it does on a laptop.

Tech stack & architecture

I chose:

• Next.js App Router
• React 19
• Tailwind CSS v4
• TypeScript
• Framer Motion

Reasons:

• Performance
• Built-in routing
• SEO-friendly
• Developer experience
• Easy theming

The template is fully componentized and sections are driven by structured data so customization is easy.

All content is editable from:
src/utils/data.ts

So you don’t need to dig through components just to change text.

Live demo

You can view the live demo here:
👉 https://uiux-portfolio-template-nextjs.vercel.app

(works best on mobile too)

Preview

Want the full template?

I made the full version available with:

• projects section layout
• blog section
• testimonials
• animations
• polished UI
• commercial license

Get the full PRO template here →
https://uicrafted.gumroad.com/l/wqsyam

Final thoughts

Even if you don’t use my template, I hope this gives you ideas to:

• simplify your design
• focus on UX over decoration
• tell the story behind your work
• optimize mobile experience
• rethink how you present projects

Your portfolio is not just a gallery.
It’s a communication tool.