How do you show what you can do without a traditional portfolio piece?
AI-Powered Capability Video
Project Context: A lot of what I build lives behind proprietary walls. I cannot always share the work, but I can show you how I think, how I work, and what I am capable of building. This project started as a personal challenge: use the tools I work with every day to create something that demonstrates my process from concept to finished product, without relying on client work I cannot share. The result is a capability demo video built entirely using AI-assisted scripting, avatar production, custom asset design, and video editing. I intentionally chose each element based on how I approach day-to-day video production.
My role: Instructional Designer, Scriptwriter, Storyboard Designer, Video Producer, Asset Designer
Tools: Claude Sonnet (scripting and storyboarding), Synthesia (AI avatar and voiceover production), Camtasia (video editing, screen recording, opening and closing sequences), personal design system (visual consistency and brand cohesion)
Timeline: 1 - Day
Results:
Concept to storyboard completed in approximately 1 hour with review cycles, using Claude Sonnet as a thought partner to refine messaging, pacing, and learning design principles
Synthesia avatar production and editing completed in approximately 1 hour
Custom visual assets designed in approximately 2 hours
Video editing, including opening and closing sequences completed in approximately 3 to 4 hours.
Total production time from blank page to finished video: under 8 hours
This project provides a glimpse into my video production process for learning experiences. I start with the learner or viewer, build toward a clear message, and use the right tool for each job rather than defaulting to a single solution for everything. If video is the clear choice to help drive behavior change, improve outcomes, or make something complex feel approachable, I was intentional about avoiding cognitive overload and keeping the learner engaged from the first frame.
What I did not want to do was lose instructional integrity just to create a wiz-bang video. How a learner watches and ingests information matters to me. I also created branded sequences as a deliberate design decision: they take more time upfront but create reusable templates that significantly reduce production time on future projects.
What’s Next?
I plan to build a follow-up video using Synthesia to introduce Spark, my AI Goal-Setting Coach prototype, and walk viewers through the tool and its design thinking. Stay tuned.