From Portfolio to Working Room: shipping client work in one place

Harris Do — Sat, 18 Oct 2025 16:18:17 +0000

I’m building SoloBase for solo UX/UI designers. The idea: turn a static portfolio into a Working Room—a single page (a FlowNote) where you can show the work, host the discussion, and get paid.

Portfolios don’t close deals. Working Rooms do.

Portfolios are great for showing taste. But when a real project starts, the work spreads out—email threads, DMs, docs, invoices, random links. Context gets lost and momentum dies.

I want a different default: one page per engagement where everything happens.

I call it a Working Room.

What’s inside a Working Room (a FlowNote)

A FlowNote is a focused page that acts like a micro-workspace:

Show the work
Drop a case study, a design preview, or a mini deck. Text, images, video, embeds.

Host the discussion
A small, contextual chat panel on the right. No giant inbox—just the conversation for this work.

Get paid
Add a CTA: Buy, Hire me, or Pay deposit. Keep the money flow close to the work.

Outcome: the client always has a single link where work → discussion → payment connects.

Why this is opinionated on purpose

One section that matters
SoloBase ships with a minimal Hero Builder—a clean front door to your work, not a 20-section website.

One room per project
Instead of a dashboard jungle, you spin up a FlowNote for each engagement and share that link.

No feature soup
If it doesn’t help you ship or get paid, it waits.

How a small project actually flows

You publish a case study as a FlowNote.

A lead drops a question in the chat on that same page.

You add a small scope block (timeline, deliverables).

They click Pay deposit (or Book 1:1).

You keep iterating in the same room—notes, files, decisions, receipts.

No context switching. No “Where is that link again?”

Early peek (build in public)

I’m currently iterating on:

Hero Builder: a single, opinionated hero section with one strong CTA.

FlowNote blocks: text, gallery, video, timeline, and monetization CTAs.

Contextual chat: per-note chat that feels like comment threads, not a new inbox.

I’ll share a demo link in the comments once today’s build is stable. If you prefer, DM me and I’ll send a preview.

What I’m unsure about (feedback welcome)

Is “Working Room” instantly clear to you?
Would you call it something else?

Trial design:
If the trial lets you publish 1 Hero + 1 FlowNote with a live CTA, is that enough to feel the value?

Pricing sanity:
One paid plan (keep it simple) vs. separate “monetize” tier?

Why dev.to?

Because the best product feedback I’ve ever received came from builders who care about constraints. If you’ve shipped opinionated tools (like Inkdrop vibes), I’d love your eyes on this.

Would this replace a piece of your current workflow?

What’s the smallest useful slice I should ship next?

What part feels like unnecessary weight?

Thanks for reading. If you’re also building a tiny, focused product, I’m rooting for you. Less, but better.

https://solobase.org

DEV Community: Harris Do

From Portfolio to Working Room: shipping client work in one place