Stellar

Inspiration

The inspiration behind Stellar came from thinking about how to visualize growth in a way that naturally reflects how people learn. Rather than organizing experiences in a timeline or traditional portfolio, we wanted a format that emphasized relationships between them. A constellation provided that framework because each star is meaningful on its own, but its significance comes from the connections it shares with the others. By representing experiences as stars and linking them to the skills they develop, Stellar reveals patterns that are often hidden in a resume. The result is a dashboard that not only documents individual accomplishments, but also illustrates how they collectively shape a person's growth over time.

What it does

Stellar is a constellation-based dashboard that helps users document and visualize their experiences outside of traditional resumes. Users can add individual experiences as “stars,” each representing a project, activity, or achievement, and connect them to the skills they developed through those experiences. As the constellation grows, it reveals how different moments contribute to broader patterns of growth over time. The platform also supports a dual-view system, allowing users to switch between a personal interactive view for reflection and tracking, and a professional shareable view that summarizes skills and development in a format tailored for recruiters or evaluators.

How we built it

The project was developed in Visual Studio Code using JavaScript and Node.js. Throughout development, we used Claude as a coding assistant to help accelerate implementation, troubleshoot issues, and iterate on features while maintaining full control over the application's architecture and functionality. We also integrated an AI chatbot, built in JavaScript, to enhance the user experience by helping users reflect on and document their experiences. Throughout the development process, we continuously tested and refined the interface to ensure the dashboard remained intuitive, interactive, and responsive across different user workflows.

Challenges we ran into

One of the biggest challenges we faced was defining exactly who we were building for and what problem we wanted to solve. Early on, we spent significant time interpreting the prompt and identifying the different audiences our platform needed to serve. We also had to align our individual ideas into a shared vision, which required open communication and a willingness to iterate on concepts rather than becoming attached to any single solution. As the project evolved, we continuously balanced user needs with stakeholder expectations, making deliberate design decisions that supported both a meaningful personal experience and a polished, professional product.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

One accomplishment we are especially proud of is creating a platform that serves two very different audiences without compromising either experience. On one side, users have an interactive space to document both their small victories and major milestones, allowing them to visualize their growth over time in a way that feels personal and motivating. On the other, they can generate a polished, shareable profile that gives recruiters, managers, or mentors a deeper understanding of their skills, how those skills have developed, and the experiences that contributed to that growth. By combining personal reflection with professional storytelling, we created a personal and more indepth alternative to a traditional portfolio or resume while remaining practical for real-world use.

What we learned

One of the biggest takeaways from this project was realizing how much learning happens outside of the final deliverable. Throughout development, we explored tools like Google AI Studio, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Lovable, and Google's Antigravity, even though many of them were ultimately not part of our final workflow. Those explorations still shaped our decisions by helping us understand what worked, what did not, and why. We also became better collaborators by communicating ideas more effectively, incorporating feedback, and adapting our approach as the project evolved. Building this project reinforced the idea that meaningful progress includes the experimentation, iteration, and problem solving that rarely appears on a resume but has a lasting impact on how we learn and build.

What's next for Stellar

Next for Stellar is expanding the platform beyond personal reflection into a more tailored tool for professional and enterprise use. One direction we are exploring is a resume builder that can automatically pull relevant experiences from a user’s constellation and generate role-specific resumes that better reflect demonstrated skills rather than static descriptions. We also see opportunities to improve how organizations use the platform, allowing teams or employers to understand skill development over time in a more structured and meaningful way. Overall, the goal is to make Stellar more useful in settings where people need to present and evaluate experience at scale.