Claude Code's output got dramatically better when I stopped letting it decide when it was done

The author rebuilt their portfolio using Claude Code, but emphasized that every important decision was made by the human. They used a stack of TypeScript, React 19, Next.js 16 (App Router), Tailwind CSS 4 and Framer Motion, deploying on Vercel with their own domain. Key aspects the author decided on were a clean design with minimal widgets, a rigorous audit process focusing on SEO, accessibility and performance, and implementing features like a pause control for auto-rotating carousels and proper SEO metadata.

The author highlighted the importance of measuring the impact of changes before implementing them. After trying a CSS-only speed-up for the hero, they found no significant improvement according to Lighthouse, so they reverted the change. This illustrates the principle that while AI tools can suggest modifications, the human must evaluate their effectiveness.

In terms of performance metrics, the author reported that desktop and mobile versions of the site scored 99 and 89 respectively in Lighthouse production tests, with 100s in accessibility and best practices categories. They stressed the importance of adhering to best practices and keeping the design simple.

The author concludes by sharing their own live site and other work, implicitly encouraging readers to consider these principles when creating their own portfolios.