Homepages Should Offer Short Paths by Intent
A portfolio homepage gets easier to use when it offers a few opinionated routes by intent before it asks a reader to scan the larger inventory.
A homepage does not need to explain everything. It needs to lower the cost of the second click. That is the part I keep wanting portfolio homepages to do better.
The homepage should sort by intent before it sorts by artifact
If a reader lands on a homepage, the first question is usually not which repo or note is newest. It is what kind of thing they want. Do they want product judgment. Do they want public proof. Do they want writing about workflow design. Do they want the grouped view of the small tools.
If the homepage starts with inventory, the reader still has to do the sorting work alone.
A few strong paths beat a wider mixed list
I would rather the homepage offer a small number of short routes:
- AI workflow notes and examples
- platform product and case-study work
- business and operating-model writing
- grouped public tools with one clear starting repo
That is enough structure to help a stranger choose a direction quickly without turning the page into a sitemap.
The path should recommend a start, not just a category
A named path gets stronger when it tells the reader where to begin. That can be:
- one case study
- one note
- one anchor repo
- one grouped projects page
The important part is that the path removes one more decision. If the path only names the area but does not recommend a first click, it is still making the reader do some of the routing work.
This is how the homepage stays different from the projects page
The projects page can carry the grouped repo context. GitHub can carry the repo-level proof. The homepage should stay one layer higher.
Its job is to route by intent and let the deeper pages carry the detail. That keeps the surfaces from competing with each other.
The bar I keep using
A homepage is doing enough when a stranger can answer three questions quickly:
- which route matches what they care about
- what first click I recommend for that route
- where to go next if they want more proof or more context
When the page can do that, the rest of the site gets easier to read.