NextWork 101

Navigate NextWork, use the AI tutor, generate a project, and share your portfolio.

Introduction

30 Second Summary

Learning a new skill is one thing. Proving you learned it to someone else is another challenge entirely.

In this project, you will navigate the full NextWork platform from scratch. You'll find projects by describing what you want to learn, ask questions as you go using the built-in AI chat, generate a custom project on any topic you choose, and publish a public portfolio with a shareable link.

What You'll Build

Picture sending a single link to a recruiter or friend, and they land on a polished portfolio showing projects you found, learned from, and generated yourself.

By the end of this project, you'll have:

A completed project in your library that you discovered using smart search and explored with Ask, the built-in AI chat. You can ask about any confusing passage and get a clear explanation.
A custom AI-generated project on a topic of your choice that you can start working through immediately.
A public portfolio with a shareable link anyone can open to see your work.
Secret Mission: Edit your AI-generated project using the AI editor to customize it further.

Are there any prerequisites?

You just need a NextWork account and a modern web browser. No installations, no code, no cloud accounts required.

Before We Start

Before we dive in, let's lock in what you're about to build and why it matters to you.

Orient to the NextWork Home Page

NextWork has a lot packed into one screen. Search, project collections, a live feed of other learners, and your personal library all live within a few clicks of the home page.

In this step, you'll map out where each feature lives so you can navigate the platform confidently from here on. Missing these features now means stumbling over them later when you actually need them.

In this step, get ready to:

Explore the home page hero and browse sections.
View the Live Feed and visit Your Library.
Test the search box with a semantic query.

Explore the home page sections

The home page has two main areas you need to identify. The hero at the top orients you with personalized content. The browse area below holds all the project collections you can explore.

Look at the hero section at the top. It displays a "Welcome" message with your name, a strip of Recently Viewed project chips (if you have history), and a row of clickable suggestion pills.
Scroll down to find the sticky Discover Projects header.
Locate the filter buttons directly below it: All, Roadmaps, Tools, Live Feed.
Click each filter button one at a time and watch how the content below changes.

The tiles you see in the browse area are collections called "learnlists." Each tile shows a hero image, a title (for example, "Amazon RDS"), and a badge showing how many projects are inside.

What is a learnlist?

A learnlist is a curated collection of related projects grouped around a single tool or topic. Think of it like a playlist for learning. Clicking a learnlist tile opens that collection so you can browse the individual projects inside.

Try Live Feed and Your Library

The platform has two areas that connect you to community activity and your own progress. Live Feed shows what other learners are building right now. Your Library is your personal space for tracking saved and authored projects.

Click the Live Feed filter button in the Explore Projects section.
Look at the cards that appear. Each card shows a learner's avatar, name, country flag, the project image, the tool used, and a status badge.

Status badges are color-coded. Orange means Project Created and green means Project Complete.

Find Your Library in the floating toolbar and click it.
Confirm you land on a page at /explore/me.
Oooh! Look at all your Learnlists: Not started, In progress, and Completed.

Your Library fills up as you go

Your Library is empty if this is your first time on the platform. As you save and start projects throughout this tutorial, you'll see them appear here automatically.

Find the search box and test it

The search box is the fastest way to find any project on the platform. It uses semantic search, which means it understands your intent rather than just matching exact keywords.

Locate the search box in the floating toolbar at the top of the page.
Type host a website into the search box and press Enter.

Before you look at the results, ask yourself: do you think the platform will only show projects with the exact words "host a website" in the title, or will it show projects related to that goal?

Look at the results that appear. Notice they split into two groups: LearnLists (displayed as tiles) and Projects (displayed as list rows).
Look at a project row. Each one shows the title, category, author, a completions count, and learner avatars.

You'll see results about hosting, deploying, and web projects even if none of them contain the exact phrase "host a website" in their title. That's semantic search in action.

Why does semantic search matter?

Traditional keyword search only finds exact matches. If you searched "host a website" on a keyword engine, you'd miss a project titled "Deploy a Static Site to S3" even though it's exactly what you want.

Semantic search understands that "host a website" and "deploy a static site" share the same intent. This means you can search using natural language and still find relevant results.

You've now confirmed you can identify the search box in the floating toolbar, the Explore Projects section with its four filter buttons, and the Your Library link. These three landmarks are everything you need to navigate the platform.

Search not returning results?

Make sure you pressed Enter after typing your query. If results still don't appear, try refreshing the page and searching again.

Still stuck? Help me troubleshoot why search isn't returning results on NextWork.

You've mapped out the full home page. Next up, you'll use what you just learned to find and open a real project, revealing the 3-panel workspace where all learning happens.

Find and Open a Real Project

You've explored the home page and know where projects, your library, and the Live Feed live. Now it's time to use that search box for real and find something you actually want to learn.

Knowing how search works is different from using it to find a project that sparks your curiosity. Opening a project also reveals the 3-panel workspace where all your learning happens on NextWork.

In this step, get ready to:

Search for a project on a topic you're genuinely curious about and save it to your Library.
Open the project and orient yourself to the 3-panel workspace.

Search for a project that interests you

Remember, NextWork's search is smart. You don't need exact keywords. Just describe what you want to learn and the results will match your intent.

Click into the search box in the floating toolbar.
Type a topic you're genuinely curious about. For example: build an API, learn Docker, or intro to AI.
Browse the results that appear. You'll see Learnlists as tiles and Projects as list rows.
Find a project row that catches your eye.
Click the heart icon on that project row to save it to Your Library.
Click the project title to open it.

The project loads in a new view. You've just left the home page and entered the project workspace.

Not finding what you're looking for?

Try broader terms. Instead of a specific framework name, describe the skill you want to learn (e.g. deploy a website instead of AWS CloudFront distribution).

Make sure you're looking at the Projects list rows, not just the Learnlist tiles. The heart icon appears on project rows specifically.

Can't find the heart icon on my search results, help!

Explore the 3-panel workspace

You're now inside the project workspace. This is where you'll spend most of your time on NextWork. It has three panels, each with a specific job.

Look at the left panel. This is Chat, where you can ask questions about the project (more on this in the next step).

Look at the center panel. This is the Highway, the step-by-step learning path you'll follow.

Look at the right panel. This is Your Work, your personal notes and documentation space for this project.

What are the three panels for?

The Chat panel is where you ask questions. It answers based on the exact project you're working through.

The Highway shows the project content itself. It's what you read and follow step by step.

The Docs panel lets you write your own notes as you learn. Think of it as a built-in notebook that stays attached to the project.

Now find the metadata box at the top of the center panel. What information does it display about this project?

Locate the metadata box at the top of the Highway panel.
Read the fields: Difficulty, Time, Refreshed (last updated), Cost, and Key Concepts.
Find the heart icon (save to Library) and the Restart project button in the same area.

You should now see all three panels and the metadata box showing you exactly what to expect from this project. The difficulty tells you how challenging it is, the time tells you how long it takes, and the cost tells you whether it's free or requires paid resources.

Only seeing one or two panels?

On smaller screens, some panels may be collapsed. Try widening your browser window or look for panel toggle icons in the toolbar area.

I can only see one panel in my project workspace, what do I do?

You've found a project and know your way around the workspace. Next up, you'll use the Ask chat in that left panel to turn confusing passages into clear explanations.

Use the AI Tutor to Learn

Learn by Asking Questions

You've found a project and have it open in the workspace. Reading through the steps is a start, but passively scanning text leads to shallow understanding.

The Ask chat turns any confusing passage into a clear explanation based on exactly what you're looking at. In this step, you'll use highlight-to-ask, concept pills, and free-form questions to learn actively.

In this step, get ready to:

Try highlight-to-ask on a confusing passage.
Explore concept pills and quizzes.
Ask a free-form question in the AI chat.

Try highlight-to-ask

The most powerful way to learn from a project is to ask questions about the specific parts that confuse you. Highlight-to-ask lets you select any text and get an instant explanation tailored to that passage.

Scroll through the project content in the center panel (the Highway).
Find a sentence or paragraph that's unfamiliar or technical.
Select (highlight) that text with your cursor.

A floating toolbar appears with two options: Ask {selected text} (shortcut A) and a color highlight picker (shortcut H).

Click Ask.

The Ask chat opens in the left panel and explains that specific passage. The answer directly references your highlighted text and the surrounding project content.

Why is this different from just asking ChatGPT?

The Ask chat knows which project you're in, which step you're on, and what you've already asked. It pulls from the actual project content to give you a precise answer, not a generic one.

Don't see the floating toolbar?

Make sure you're selecting text in the center panel (the Highway), not in the Chat or Docs panels. Click and drag across a full word or phrase. If you only click without dragging, the toolbar won't appear.

Help me get the highlight-to-ask toolbar to appear.

Explore concept pills and quizzes

Technical terms in project content appear as clickable concept pills. They look visually different from regular text, signaling that there's a built-in definition waiting for you.

Scan the project content for terms that look slightly different from regular text (these are concept pills).
Click one to see its Definition popup.
Click Explain this in more detail in the popup to push the term into the Ask chat for a deeper follow-up.

The Ask chat now responds with a deeper explanation of that concept, based on the project you're working through.

Try a quiz if you see one

Some projects include a quiz section with multiple-choice questions. Every option (including wrong answers) has an explanation, so you learn regardless of whether you pick correctly. Give it a try if your project has one.

Ask a free-form question

Beyond highlighting and concept pills, you can type any question directly into the Ask panel. It adapts its response to where you are in the project and your chosen difficulty level.

In the left panel, find the input box that says Ask anything.
Type a question about the project you're working through. For example: "What's the most important concept in this step?" or "Can you explain this in simpler terms?"
Press Enter to send your question.

The Ask chat responds with an answer based on where you are in the project. It uses the project content, your difficulty level, and your conversation history to give you the most relevant response.

Other input options

You can also use voice input to speak your question, or drag-and-drop an image (like a screenshot of an error) directly into the chat. These are handy when typing feels tedious or when showing a visual is easier than describing it.

Not getting a helpful response?

Try making your question more specific. Instead of "I don't understand this", try "What does X mean in the context of Y?" The more focused your question, the more targeted the answer.

Help me ask better questions in the Ask chat.

Before you move on, take a moment to confirm what you've accomplished. Do you have at least one Ask chat response from highlight-to-ask that directly references your highlighted text? Have you clicked a concept pill and seen its definition?

If the answer to both is yes, you've experienced the core of interactive learning on NextWork. Every project you open from now on has these same tools at your fingertips.

You now know how to actively learn from any project on NextWork. Next up, you'll create a project that doesn't exist yet, tailored to exactly what you want to learn.

Generate Your Own Project with AI

You just used the AI tutor to turn a confusing passage into a clear explanation. That's powerful for learning from existing projects.

But what if no existing project covers exactly what you want to learn? NextWork's generation flow lets you describe any topic and get a full, buildable project created just for you.

In this step, get ready to:

Switch from Search mode to Generate mode in the search box.
Plan a custom project through an AI interview about your experience and goals.
Approve the plan and watch your project generate in real time.

Start the generation flow

The search box you used earlier has a second mode. Instead of finding existing projects, it can create brand-new ones from scratch.

Return to the NextWork home page.
In the search box in the floating toolbar, flip the mode toggle from Search to Generate (or press Tab).
Type a topic or goal you genuinely want to learn. It can be a technology, a skill, or a question.
Press Enter.

The placeholder text in the search box rotates through example prompts like "I want to learn how to use Claude Code." Use these for inspiration if you're unsure what to type.

You land in a planning chat. This is where the AI will interview you and design your project.

Pick something you actually want to learn

The more specific your topic, the better the generated project will be. "Build a REST API with Go" works better than just "Go programming."

Plan your project with the AI

The AI planner needs to understand your context before it can design something that fits. It runs a short interview, then builds the project around your answers.

Answer the planner's questions about your experience level, the tools you have installed, and your budget.
Wait for the AI to research your topic using live web and documentation tools.

After researching, the AI proposes a specific, buildable project. It shows you a project outline and a research doc.

What does the planner produce?

Every generated project is capped at 6 steps and designed to take under 60 minutes. The planner enforces this so you get something finishable in a single session.

You'll see a full outline (step titles, substeps, goals) plus a research document the AI compiled from live sources. Both are yours to review before anything gets built.

Review the proposed outline. Read through the step titles and substeps to confirm the project matches what you want.
If you want changes, type them directly in the chat. For example: "add a cleanup step", "make step 2 simpler", or "change the tool to X."
Keep iterating until the outline looks right to you.

Once you're satisfied, the AI displays an approval card that says "Your project plan is ready" with a Create project button.

Approve and generate

This is the moment your plan becomes a real project. Before you click, think about what you expect to happen next.

Predict: what do you think will happen when you click Create project? How long do you think it takes to build an entire project from an outline?
Click Create project.

A live progress screen appears with a pulsing NextWork logo and a progress bar. Watch it move through two stages:

"Planning project sections..." as the AI structures the content.
"Generating sections (X/Y)..." as each section's content streams in.

The whole process takes about 1-2 minutes. When it finishes, you're dropped directly into your new project in the 3-panel workspace.

Confirm you can see the three familiar panels: Chat on the left, the Highway in the center, and Docs on the right.
Scroll through the center panel to see the steps the AI created for you.

How is this different from other projects?

Your generated project behaves exactly like any other NextWork project. You can use the AI tutor, highlight text to ask questions, and work through it step by step.

The project defaults to "anyone with link" visibility, meaning it's not publicly discoverable but anyone you share the link with can view it. It also carries a "generated with AI" beta banner.

🙋‍♀️ Generation seems stuck?

If the progress bar stops moving for more than 3 minutes, try refreshing the page. Your generation session is saved, so you won't lose progress.

My project generation is stuck. What should I do?

You now have a fully custom project that no one else has. It's tailored to your experience level, your tools, and your learning goal. Next up, you'll turn your work into a public portfolio piece that anyone can see.

Build Your Portfolio and Share

You now have a custom AI-generated project on a topic you chose yourself. That's a real accomplishment.

But completed work only becomes a career asset when others can see it. In this step, you'll turn your learning into a public portfolio piece with a shareable link.

In this step, get ready to:

Download your project as a PDF.
Upload it to your portfolio as a showcase item.
Share your portfolio with a public link anyone can open.

Download your project as a PDF

The PDF download is available once you've started a project. Complete the first task in your generated project to get it started, then you're ready to download.

Complete the first task in your generated project to mark it as started.
In your open project, find the Your Work panel.
Click Share Work.

On the bottom, you'll see an option to Share. Click it for all the ways you can share your documentation.

Can't find the Share your work panel?

Look for it within the project workspace, near the project metadata or toolbar area. Make sure you're viewing a project you own or have saved, not just browsing.

help me find the Share your work panel in my project

Share your portfolio link

Your portfolio exists, but the Share button stays disabled until you set a title and description. These tell visitors who you are and what you're learning.

At the top of your portfolio page, click inline to edit your portfolio title. This auto-saves as you type.
Edit the description below it to describe what you're learning or building.
Once both fields are filled in, the Share portfolio button becomes active. Click it to copy your public portfolio link.

Your public portfolio URL follows the format /{nickname}/portfolio where your nickname is your NextWork username.

Before you open your link, take a guess. Do you think a stranger could see your portfolio item without being logged into NextWork?

Open an incognito or private browser window.
Paste your copied portfolio link into the address bar and press Enter.

You should see your public portfolio load with at least one item visible. This is exactly what a recruiter, friend, or LinkedIn connection would see if you sent them this link.

Share portfolio button still greyed out?

The button stays disabled until both your title and description are filled in. Click directly on the title and description text at the top of your portfolio page to edit them. Changes auto-save, so once both have content, the button should activate.

help me enable my Share portfolio button

💡 Social sharing on individual projects

You can also share individual projects. Open any project you've completed and look for the social share options: LinkedIn, Community, and X (Twitter). Each has a pre-filled template ready to post.

After completing a project, a Project Complete dialog nudges you to share your accomplishment.

Secret mission

Edit Your Generated Project with the AI Editor

Generation gives you a great starting point, but your learning needs evolve as you work through a project. The AI editor lets you reshape content without starting over. Can you use natural language commands to make structural changes to your live project?

Clean Up Your Resources

This project runs entirely on NextWork's web platform, so there are no ongoing costs. Decide whether to keep your resources as they are, hide them from public view, or delete them entirely.

Resources you used:

AI-generated project (saved in your Library).
Saved project from search (saved in your Library).
Portfolio items (on your public portfolio page).
Downloaded PDF (on your local computer).

Keep everything running

No action needed. Choose this if you plan to keep learning on NextWork and want your projects and portfolio accessible.

Your AI-generated project and saved project persist in your Library indefinitely at no cost.
Your portfolio remains public at its shareable link.
The downloaded PDF stays on your computer wherever your browser saved it.

Pause - I'll come back to this later

Hide your portfolio from public view while keeping all your projects and files intact.

Go to your portfolio page and clear the title or description field. This disables the Share portfolio button and makes your public link inactive.
Your Library items and generated project remain untouched for when you return.

Delete - I don't want to use this again

Remove all project resources you created during this walkthrough.

Delete your AI-generated project: open Your Library, find the generated project tile, click its menu (three dots), and select Delete.
Remove the saved project: in Your Library, find the project you saved from search and click the heart icon to unsave it.
Remove portfolio items: go to your portfolio page, hover over each tile, click the per-tile menu, and select Remove.
Delete the downloaded PDF from your computer. Find it in your Downloads folder and move it to the Trash (macOS) or Recycle Bin (Windows).

That's a Wrap!

Nice work! You've just navigated the entire NextWork learner journey, from finding projects to sharing your learning with the world.

You've learned how to:

Used semantic search to find projects by intent and explored the AI tutor's highlight-to-ask, concept pills, and quizzes to learn interactively from any passage.
Generated a custom AI project from scratch on a topic of your choice through the full planning and generation flow.
Built a public portfolio with a shareable link that anyone can open to see your work.
Secret Mission: Edited your generated project using the AI editor and published changes live with the Update button.

Ready to quiz yourself?