Interactive CV Builder Project Roadmap

Phase 1: Planning and Setup

• Week 1:
  • [ ] Define project scope and requirements.
  • [ ] Research UI/UX best practices for form builders.
  • [ ] Set up the Next.js project environment.
  • [ ] Structure the project directories.

Phase 2: Core Functionality

• Week 2-3:
  • [ ] Implement a multi-step form with sections for Personal Details, Experience, Education, etc.
  • [ ] Add form validation to ensure required fields are filled.
  • [ ] Create a real-time preview component for the CV.
  • [ ] Develop basic CV templates that users can choose from.
  • [ ] Implement drag-and-drop functionality for reordering sections.

Phase 3: UI/UX Enhancements

• Week 4:
  • [ ] Design and implement an intuitive, responsive UI.
  • [ ] Add interactive guidance with tooltips and step-by-step instructions.
  • [ ] Enhance the real-time preview to reflect changes instantly.

Phase 4: State Management and Persistence

• Week 5:
  • [ ] Implement global state management (React Context/Zustand) to manage form data across steps.
  • [ ] Add local storage or session storage to persist user data.
  • [ ] Implement a save and resume functionality.

Phase 5: Backend Integration

• Week 6:
  • [ ] Set up a basic backend (Node.js/Express or a headless CMS) to handle CV data storage.
  • [ ] Implement user authentication and account management.
  • [ ] Allow users to save and retrieve their CVs from the backend.

Phase 6: OpenAI Integration

• Week 7-8:
  • [ ] Integrate OpenAI API to provide AI-driven suggestions for CV content.
  • [ ] Implement features like auto-completing sections, generating bullet points for experience, or suggesting improvements.
  • [ ] Allow users to interact with the AI for personalized advice and feedback.
  • [ ] Ensure the AI-driven features are seamlessly integrated with the existing UI.

Phase 7: Export and Sharing Features

• Week 9:
  • [ ] Implement PDF/Word export functionality using react-pdf or a similar library.
  • [ ] Allow users to share their CVs via a public link or email.
  • [ ] Implement version control for CVs, allowing users to save multiple versions.

Phase 8: Testing and Accessibility

• Week 10:
  • [ ] Write unit tests for all components, including AI-driven features.
  • [ ] Implement integration tests for key user flows.
  • [ ] Ensure the application is accessible, supporting screen readers and keyboard navigation.

Phase 9: Deployment and Optimization

• Week 11:
  • [ ] Optimize the application for performance.
  • [ ] Set up CI/CD pipelines for automated testing and deployment.
  • [ ] Deploy the application on Vercel or a similar platform.
  • [ ] Monitor and fix any deployment issues.

Phase 10: Post-Launch

• Week 12:
  • [ ] Collect user feedback and monitor analytics.
  • [ ] Plan and implement any necessary post-launch features or fixes.
  • [ ] Consider adding additional CV templates and customization options.

Phase 11: Documentation and Maintenance

• Ongoing:
  • [ ] Maintain and update project documentation.
  • [ ] Address any bugs or issues that arise post-launch.
  • [ ] Plan for future updates and new features.

Tech Stack for Interactive CV Builder with OpenAI Integration

Frontend

• Next.js: Core framework for building the interactive, server-rendered React application.
• React: JavaScript library for building user interfaces.
• Tailwind CSS: Utility-first CSS framework for styling and ensuring a responsive design.
• Framer Motion: For adding animations and enhancing user experience.
• Formik + Yup: For form handling and validation.
• React Query: For data fetching and caching, particularly useful for managing interactions with backend API and OpenAI.
• Axios: For making HTTP requests to your backend API and OpenAI API.

Backend

• Node.js: JavaScript runtime for building backend services.
• Express.js: Web framework for building the REST API that handles user authentication, CV data management, and OpenAI interactions.
• MongoDB: NoSQL database for storing user data, CV templates, and saved CVs.
• Mongoose: ODM (Object Data Modeling) library for MongoDB, allowing interaction with the database using JavaScript objects.
• OpenAI API: Provides AI-driven suggestions for building the CV.

Authentication

• NextAuth.js: For handling user authentication and managing sessions.
• JWT (JSON Web Tokens): For securing API endpoints and managing user sessions.

Deployment and Hosting

• Vercel: Hosting platform for the Next.js frontend, optimized for performance and scalability.
• Heroku: Optional hosting platform for the Node.js/Express backend (depending on preference).
• MongoDB Atlas: Cloud-hosted MongoDB, providing a scalable and secure database solution.

Testing

• Jest: For unit and integration testing of React components and backend services.
• Cypress: For end-to-end testing, ensuring the entire user flow works as expected.
• React Testing Library: For testing React components with a focus on user interactions.

State Management

• React Context or Zustand: For managing global state across the application.

Version Control

• Git: For source code management and version control.
• GitHub/GitLab: For hosting the code repository and managing collaboration.

CI/CD

• GitHub Actions: For continuous integration and deployment pipelines, automating testing and deployment processes.

Analytics and Monitoring

• Google Analytics: For tracking user interactions and behavior on the CV builder.
• Sentry: For error tracking and monitoring the application in production.

Documentation

• Storybook: For building and documenting UI components.
• Markdown: For writing project documentation, README files, and contributing guidelines.