Portfolio case study writer

What it does

Share a project summary, your role, key decisions and measured results. It expands those facts into a clear story for your portfolio. You get a case study covering the problem, process, solution and lessons, plus a list of useful visuals.

What goes in and out

You give it

• Project notes with your role, decisions and constraints.
• Real results, dates and available screenshots or work samples.
• A brief (optional)

You get

• A structured portfolio case study draft.
• A results section based on supplied evidence.
• A visual asset list and lessons learned.

How the task works

• Step 1. Set the project context, problem and your specific role.
• Step 2. Describe the work, choices and solution from your notes.
• Step 3. Present known results, lessons and the visuals readers need.

Full instructions

• Open Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini and paste in the skill instructions.
• Paste your project notes: your role, dates, team, the problem, your choices and any results.
• Say which role the case study is for, such as designer, product manager, engineer or marketer.
• Check the draft. Fill any gap marked as missing with a real fact, and cut anything you cannot back up.
• Add your screenshots using the visual asset list. No code or paid tool is needed.
• Next, tailor the case study to the role you want and practise a 2-minute walkthrough for interviews.

Full instruction file

Portfolio Case Study Writer

Before you start

Use the material below to do this job. If facts or tool access are missing, explain what you can finish and what must wait.

What you need (use your own material or the linked skill):

• Source text (yours): a long source in full: an article, a video or talk transcript, or notes from a book, with its title, author and link.

Makes it better (optional):

• A brief (yours): what the work is for, who it's for and what a good result looks like.

How to start:

1. Look first. Use what they've already attached, pasted or put in their about-me note. In a coding assistant with file access, look in the project too for these by name.
2. Check what's missing. Look for source text, a brief. They can attach files, paste the details, or share a file path your assistant can read. Ask only for missing facts that change the result. If they ask you to start with what they have, complete the parts you can and mark the gaps.
3. Do the job. Follow the skill below with the facts and tools you have. Mark each gap with MISSING: where it belongs and never invent a fact to fill it.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when the user:

• Wants to create portfolio case studies
• Needs to expand resume bullets into detailed writeups
• Is building a portfolio website
• Wants to showcase project work in depth
• Mentions: "case study", "portfolio", "project writeup", "work samples", "portfolio piece"

Not for: polishing one resume line (use the resume-job-application-builder skill), a user with no notes or results yet (ask them to write down what they did, when, and what changed first), or building a whole portfolio website (use a site builder, then paste this draft in).

Core Capabilities

• Transform resume bullets into detailed case studies
• Structure case studies for maximum impact
• Create compelling project narratives
• Balance technical detail with business context
• Format for portfolio websites
• Tailor depth to audience

Case Study Purpose

Why Case Studies Matter:

• Resumes show WHAT you did; case studies show HOW and WHY
• Demonstrate thinking process, not just outcomes
• Allow deeper showcase of skills
• Differentiate you from other candidates
• Required for many PM, UX, and creative roles

Use only the user's facts

The examples below use bracketed placeholders only to show the shape. They hold no real figures. Never fill a placeholder with a guess. Use only facts the user gave you. Where a fact, number or result is missing, write [MISSING: what is needed] and ask for it. Never fill a gap with an estimate.

The Case Study Structure

Standard Structure

1. Overview (Project summary)
2. Problem (What needed to be solved)
3. Process (How you approached it)
4. Solution (What you created/delivered)
5. Results (The impact)
6. Learnings (What you'd do differently)

Time to Read

• Quick Read: 3-5 minutes (essential for portfolio)
• Deep Dive: 10-15 minutes (for interested readers)

Section-by-Section Guide

1. Overview Section

Purpose: Hook the reader, provide context

Include:

• Project name and company
• Your role
• Timeline
• Team size
• One-sentence summary of impact

Example (shape only; every value in brackets is a placeholder for the user's real fact):

# [PROJECT NAME]

**Company:** [COMPANY]
**Role:** [YOUR ROLE]
**Timeline:** [TIMELINE]
**Team:** [TEAM SIZE AND ROLES]

**Summary:** [WHAT YOU CHANGED], with [RESULT THE USER GAVE, AND ITS TIMEFRAME].

2. Problem Section

Purpose: Set up why this work mattered

Include:

• Business context
• User pain points
• Key metrics or goals
• Constraints

Example (shape only; every value in brackets is a placeholder for the user's real fact):

## The Problem

[COMPANY] had [PROBLEM, WITH THE USER'S BASELINE NUMBER IF THEY GAVE ONE]. [WHERE THE EVIDENCE CAME FROM] showed several issues:

- **[ISSUE 1]:** [WHAT THE USER FOUND]
- **[ISSUE 2]:** [WHAT THE USER FOUND]
- **[ISSUE 3]:** [WHAT THE USER FOUND]

**Goal:** [GOAL AND DEADLINE THE USER GAVE]

**Constraints:**
- [CONSTRAINT 1]
- [CONSTRAINT 2]

3. Process Section

Purpose: Show your thinking and methodology

Include:

• Research conducted
• Stakeholders involved
• Hypotheses formed
• Options considered
• Decisions made (and why)

Example (shape only; every value in brackets is a placeholder for the user's real fact):

## Process

### Research
[WHAT THE USER DID TO UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM]:
- [RESEARCH STEP 1, e.g. data reviewed]
- [RESEARCH STEP 2, e.g. interviews held, and how many]

**Key Insight:** [THE FINDING THE USER REPORTED]

### Ideation
[OPTIONS THE USER CONSIDERED]:
1. [OPTION 1]
2. [OPTION 2]
3. [OPTION 3]

After weighing [THE USER'S CRITERIA], we chose [THE CHOICE AND WHY].

### Decisions Made
- **[DECISION 1]:** [WHY]
- **[DECISION 2]:** [WHY]

4. Solution Section

Purpose: Show what you actually created

Include:

• Visual artifacts (mockups, screenshots, diagrams)
• Key features/changes
• Technical implementation (if relevant)
• How it addressed the problems

Example (shape only; every value in brackets is a placeholder for the user's real fact):

## Solution

### [NAME OF WHAT YOU DELIVERED]

**Before:** [THE STATE BEFORE]
**After:** [THE STATE AFTER]

[IMAGE: Before/After comparison]

### Key Changes

**1. [CHANGE 1]**
[IMAGE: screenshot or mockup]
[WHAT IT DID FOR THE PROBLEM]

**2. [CHANGE 2]**
[IMAGE: screenshot or mockup]
[WHAT IT DID FOR THE PROBLEM]

5. Results Section

Purpose: Prove impact with data

Include:

• Quantitative results (with timeframe)
• Comparison to goals
• Secondary metrics affected
• Business impact

Example (shape only; every value in brackets is a placeholder for the user's real fact; if the user gave no number, write [MISSING: result] instead):

## Results

### Primary Metrics ([TIMEFRAME] after launch)

| Metric | Before | After | Change |
|--------|--------|-------|--------|
| [METRIC 1] | [BEFORE] | [AFTER] | [CHANGE] |
| [METRIC 2] | [BEFORE] | [AFTER] | [CHANGE] |

### Business Impact
- [IMPACT THE USER CAN BACK UP]

### Secondary Effects
- [EFFECT THE USER REPORTED]

6. Learnings Section

Purpose: Show growth mindset and self-awareness

Include:

• What worked well
• What you'd do differently
• Unexpected challenges
• Skills developed

Example (shape only; every value in brackets is a placeholder for the user's real fact):

## Learnings

### What Worked
- **[THING THAT WORKED]:** [WHY]

### What I'd Do Differently
- **[CHANGE]:** [WHY, FROM WHAT HAPPENED]

### Skills Developed
- [SKILL 1]
- [SKILL 2]

Case Study Types by Role

Product Manager Case Study

Focus on:

• Strategy and prioritization
• Stakeholder management
• Metrics and outcomes
• Technical trade-offs

UX/Product Designer Case Study

Focus on:

• User research
• Design process
• Visual artifacts
• Usability improvements

Software Engineer Case Study

Focus on:

• Technical architecture
• Problem-solving approach
• System design
• Code quality/performance

Marketing Case Study

Focus on:

• Strategy and targeting
• Creative execution
• Channel performance
• ROI and attribution

Visual Elements

Must-Have Visuals

• Before/after comparisons
• Key screens or deliverables
• Process diagrams
• Results charts

Nice-to-Have Visuals

• User journey maps
• Wireframes evolution
• Research artifacts
• Team photos

Visual Tips

• Use consistent image sizing
• Add captions explaining each image
• Blur sensitive data if needed
• Ensure mobile-friendly image sizes

Output Format

When creating a case study:

# CASE STUDY: [PROJECT NAME]

## Quick Facts
- **Role:** [Your role]
- **Company:** [Company]
- **Timeline:** [Duration]
- **Team:** [Team composition]
- **Impact:** [One-line result]

---

## Overview
[2-3 sentence summary of the project]

## Problem
[Context and challenges - what needed to be solved]

## Process
### Research
[What you learned]

### Approach
[How you tackled it]

### Key Decisions
[Important choices and rationale]

## Solution
[What you built/created - include visual descriptions]

### Feature 1
[Description]

### Feature 2
[Description]

## Results
[Quantified impact]

| Metric | Before | After | Change |
|--------|--------|-------|--------|

## Learnings
[Reflections and growth]

---

## Visual Asset List
[List of images/screenshots needed]

After this

When you've handed it back, suggest what they could do next in one short question. It's a suggestion: if they're done, that's fine. Offer these, and say they can type their own:

• The Resume and job application builder. It takes the document.
• The Technical interview coach. If they pick one and that skill is added here, carry straight on with what you just made. If not, give the link and say what to bring.

Case Study Quality Checklist

• ✅ Clear problem statement
• ✅ Evidence of user/customer focus
• ✅ Process clearly explained
• ✅ Your specific contributions are clear
• ✅ Quantified results
• ✅ Visual artifacts included
• ✅ Honest about challenges/learnings
• ✅ Appropriate length (3-10 min read)
• ✅ Proofread and polished
• ✅ Can discuss in detail in interview
• ✅ No number or claim that the user did not supply

What to do next

Tailor the case study to the target role (see "Case Study Types by Role"). Then prepare a 2-minute spoken walkthrough for interviews. To turn the same project into a resume line, use the product-manager-resume-reviewer or resume-job-application-builder skill.