Challenge
Create one useful home for a portfolio, travel journal, recipes, and long-form content without turning each feature into a disconnected product.
cody-sims.com
AI-Powered Portfolio & Travel Platform
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Case study
Overview
More than a portfolio, this is a full-stack playground where I experiment with AI integrations, build tools I actually use, and document my adventures around the world.
Role
Sole product designer and full-stack engineer
Approach
Built a typed Next.js client and Express API around shared content workflows, then added Firebase authorization, image processing, structured data, and deterministic end-to-end coverage.
Outcome
A production platform that supports four content domains, nine documented projects, and a reusable admin workflow.
Key Features
AI-Powered Dynamic Hero
Adapts content based on time of day, user context, and page location
Smart Recipe Extraction
Paste any recipe URL to extract clean, structured data without the blog fluff
Automated Image Processing
EXIF extraction, location tagging, and optimization on upload
Travel Blog
Document travels with photo uploads, location tracking, and interactive world map visualization
Admin Dashboard
Full-featured CMS with rich text editing, image management, and multi-section content management
Interactive Maps
SVG-based world map and US states map showing travel progress and visited locations
Performance Optimized
Lazy loading, image optimization, skeleton states, and code splitting for fast load times
Reflection
The strongest portfolio experiences do more than list technologies: they connect product intent, engineering tradeoffs, and evidence that the system can keep evolving.
Tech Stack
Next.jsTypeScriptFluent UI v9React QueryNode.jsExpressFirebaseGoogle Cloud StorageHerokuVercel
Project Info
Status
In Progress
Category🌐 web
Started2023-01
Contribution
Sole product designer and full-stack engineer