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ryanhorricks.com

··708 words·4 mins
Ryan Horricks
Author
Ryan Horricks
Engineer and Storyteller | I create solutions that bridge software, hardware, and human experience. With a passion for learning and a knack for problem-solving, I turn ideas into reality, driven by curiosity and a love for innovation.
Table of Contents

Overview
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ryanhorricks.com represents the culmination of seven years of professional growth, personal evolution, and technical mastery. Created over four months and across four countries, this website serves as both a portfolio and a narrative, showcasing a journey of innovation, self-discovery, and reflection.

The project is more than a technical showcase; it’s a deeply personal work. Each article reflects a chapter of my life, offering insights into professional achievements, personal struggles, and the lessons learned along the way.

Challenges and Objectives
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  • Comprehensive Content: Creating detailed, professional, and engaging content for every significant project and experience over seven years.
  • Efficiency and Quality: Leveraging tools like AI to streamline the process while maintaining a high standard of writing.
  • Global Effort: Building and refining the website while traveling through Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
  • Polished Design: Ensuring a professional and cohesive aesthetic using the Hugo framework and Blowfish theme.
  • Analytics Insights: Using analytics to understand how the site was being consumed and to guide content improvement.

My Contributions
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1. Conceptualization and Structure
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  • Designed the website to distinguish between Portfolio (professional and high-effort personal projects) and Projects (passion-driven works).
  • Ensured every article provided technical depth while being accessible to a general audience.

2. Leveraging AI for Efficiency
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  • Initially wrote content manually, spending weeks on single articles. Transitioned to using AI (ChatGPT) for summarizing, editing, and refining content, dramatically improving efficiency and quality.
  • Used AI not only as a tool but as a learning process, understanding how to best utilize it for creative and technical tasks.

3. Analytics for Insights
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  • Integrated analytics into the site to monitor traffic patterns and gain actionable insights.
  • Observed spikes in traffic immediately after job applications, often in the early hours of the application’s time zone.
  • Identified patterns of AI-based evaluations for jobs that included website links on resumes. Analytics revealed that AI tools likely assessed the content before being passed to human reviewers.
  • Tracked specific user behavior, including where visitors stopped reading, allowing targeted improvements to underdeveloped sections.
  • Notable instances, such as a surge of over 20 hits from Microsoft following an application, highlighted the importance of polished and complete content.

4. Technical Implementation
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  • Built the website using Hugo for its speed and flexibility, and the Blowfish theme for its professional design with minimal front-end development.
  • Focused on performance and scalability by creating a static site, ensuring fast load times and robust user experience.

5. Comprehensive Content Creation
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  • Authored detailed articles covering every major professional and personal project over the past seven years.
  • Integrated lessons learned, challenges faced, and outcomes achieved to create a narrative that is both technical and personal.

Process and Progress
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  • Integrated lessons learned, challenges faced, and outcomes achieved to create a narrative that is both technical and personal.
  • Traveled through Kuala Lumpur, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang, continuously refining and expanding the content.
  • Engaged in conversations with peers and mentors who encouraged the use of AI tools and a focus on progress over perfection.
  • Returned to Kuching for the final push, completing the content and achieving a cohesive, polished result.

Lessons Learned
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  1. The Power of AI: Using AI transformed this project, enabling me to produce higher-quality content in a fraction of the time.
  2. Reflection Through Writing: Revisiting past projects was both challenging and healing, offering new perspectives on personal growth and professional achievements.
  3. Perfection vs. Progress: This website taught me to balance high standards with practicality, focusing on delivering results rather than endless refinement.
  4. Actionable Analytics: Real-time analytics highlighted areas for improvement and revealed the value of presenting polished, engaging content to both AI and human reviewers.

Technical Summary
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  • Skills: Content Creation, Technical Writing, AI Utilization, Static Site Generation, Analytics Integration
  • Tools: Hugo, Blowfish Theme, ChatGPT, Vim, Git, Google Analytics
  • Features: Comprehensive Portfolio and Projects sections, polished design, and fast-loading static pages.v

Reflection
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Creating ryanhorricks.com has been a transformative experience. It’s not just a portfolio; it’s a reflection of who I am, what I’ve achieved, and the lessons I’ve learned. It’s a living record of my journey, presented with clarity, honesty, and pride. This project represents not only my technical abilities but my growth as a person, and I’m proud to share it with the world.