Problem
Two audiences — peers who want to see how I think, and hiring managers who need to evaluate quickly — but building two separate sites created direction paralysis. Nothing shipped for weeks.
Approach
Consolidated both audiences onto a single site. The home page serves as a lightweight portfolio (selected work, writing) while dedicated case study pages provide the depth hiring managers need.
Key Decisions
- One site, not two. Eliminated the sequencing problem entirely. The portfolio site activates later when content volume justifies the split.
- Design system first. Built a complete design spec before writing code — typography, color tokens, spacing, component specs. This made implementation a translation exercise rather than a design exercise.
- Static by default. Astro with zero client JS except the theme toggle. Interactive elements come post-MVP.
Outcome
Live site serving both audiences from day one, with a clear path to add interactive case studies and a generative visual.
What I Learned
Direction paralysis is a sequencing problem, not a scope problem. The strategy was already defined — the blocker was choosing which piece to build first. Consolidating removed the choice entirely.