Breaking the Traditional Portfolio: My Chat-Based Approach

Muhammed Nasim K — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:40:46 +0000

Introduction

Most developer portfolios look very similar — a homepage, some projects, and a contact section.

I wanted to try something different.

Instead of showing everything at once, I built my portfolio as a chat-based interface, where users can interact with my website like they are chatting with me.

👉 Live here: https://portfolio.nasimkuniyil.in

Why I Chose a Chat-Based Design

While exploring different portfolio designs, I noticed a common problem:

Users have to scroll and search to find what they need.

So I thought:

“What if users can directly ask for what they want?”

That idea led me to build a chatbot-style portfolio.

Users can:

Type a message (like “projects” or “skills”)
Or click quick action buttons

This makes the experience:

More interactive
More engaging
More personalized

Tech Stack I Used

Next.js

I used Next.js because:

It provides built-in routing (no need for extra setup)
It improves performance
It supports SEO (important for visibility in search results)

TypeScript

Helps catch errors early
Makes code more maintainable
Improves development confidence

Tailwind CSS

Fast and flexible styling
Keeps design consistent
No need to switch between multiple files

How the Chat System Works

The logic is simple but effective.

User enters a query or clicks a button
The system matches it with predefined commands
It returns the corresponding response

Example:

Input: “projects”
Output: List of my projects

This is not AI-based — it’s a structured system designed for specific interactions.

Improving User Experience

I focused a lot on making the experience smooth and easy.

Predefined Action Buttons

Not every user wants to type.

So I added buttons like:

About
Projects
Skills
Contact

This helps users navigate quickly.

Handling Repeated Queries

One interesting problem I faced:

What if the user asks the same question again?

I didn’t want duplicate responses in the chat.

So I built a feature where:

The system detects repeated queries
It scrolls to the previous answer
Highlights it for a short time

This small highlight acts as a visual cue:

“Your answer is already here”

This improved:

Navigation
Clarity
Overall user experience

Responsive Design Challenges

Making this design responsive was tricky.

Main challenges:

Keeping layout clean on smaller screens
Highlighting important content properly
Maintaining chat-like feel across devices

Trade-offs I Faced

Even though the chat-based design is unique, it has some limitations:

Some users prefer quick overview instead of interaction
It may take extra steps to access information
Not all recruiters want to “chat”

To solve this, I’m planning to add a quick summary section in future.

What I Learned

This project taught me more than just coding:

UX matters as much as functionality
Small details (like highlights) improve experience a lot
Thinking from user perspective is very important
Building something unique requires experimentation

Future Improvements

I’m planning to improve this further by adding:

Better input handling (typos, suggestions)
Smarter responses
Quick overview for recruiters
More interactive features

Final Thoughts

This portfolio is more than just a project.

It represents:

My creativity
My problem-solving approach
My willingness to try new ideas

I believe standing out is not about doing more —
it’s about doing things differently.

Thanks for Reading

If you have feedback or suggestions, feel free to connect with me!

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And if you’re a beginner like me,
don’t be afraid to try something unique

DEV Community: Muhammed Nasim K