1️⃣ Learn

In this lesson, you learned…

  • Start every build with a spoken PRD 🧩 Open WhisperFlow, speak for 10–15 minutes describing how the feature should work - behavior, edge cases, everything. Speaking naturally produces more context than typing. More context means better AI output.

  • Force Claude to ask questions before it builds By default, Claude acts immediately. Explicitly tell it: "Ask me questions before you start." Then enable Plan Mode so it outlines a structured approach before writing code. This costs more tokens but dramatically improves quality.

  • Context engineering is the real skill now πŸ”„ Every AI model has a context window - its working memory. As projects grow, context fills up, performance drops, and hallucinations increase. Managing how much information Claude holds at once matters more than crafting the perfect prompt.

  • Use parallel sessions to multiply speed πŸš€ Run multiple independent sessions simultaneously - one on the top bar, another on the sidebar, another on charts. If features are relatively independent, they won't interfere. Start with two parallel sessions and scale up as your system grows.

  • Maintain your CLAUDE.md file like a floor planπŸ“„ This file describes your app's modules and structure so new sessions can scan only relevant sections instead of the entire codebase. Every 20–30 sessions, ask Claude to rewrite and optimize it for clarity.

What This Means for Your Portfolio

  • The ability to define clear requirements (PRDs) and manage AI context is now a core design skill - not a developer skill. Show it.

  • Ambiguity invites AI interpretation. Specificity gives you control. This applies to building portfolio projects and to how you present your process in case studies.

  • Demonstrating a structured AI workflow (PRD β†’ clarification β†’ plan β†’ build β†’ test) in your case studies signals professional-level execution.

  • Parallel session management and context awareness separate people who tinker with AI from people who ship with it.

2️⃣ Practice

  1. Record yourself describing your next portfolio project feature out loud for 10 minutes. How much more detail did you produce compared to what you would have typed?

  2. Review your last AI session - did you let Claude act immediately, or did you ask for clarifying questions first? What was the quality difference?

  3. How large is your current project's context? Could you split your next build into parallel sessions without creating conflicts?

  4. Do you have a CLAUDE.md file? If yes, when did you last optimize it?

3️⃣ Apply

Your Challenge

  • Write a PRD for your next portfolio feature by speaking it out loud, then have Claude refine it and ask clarifying questions.

  • Build one feature using the full workflow: PRD β†’ clarification β†’ Plan Mode β†’ browser access β†’ step away and review.

  • Create or update your CLAUDE.md file so it accurately maps your project's structure.