UX portfolios showcase your skills and expertise to the prospective employer and client. Besides, it tells about your strengths, design styles, and key areas of specialization. That’s why you should be serious while creating your UX portfolio.
Your UX portfolio should be created with hiring managers, recruiters, clients, or UX professionals in mind. Think about which skills you want to exhibit and how each of them can grasp this information. Frankly speaking, no one has the time to go through the entire portfolio—therefore, it should be easy to scan and not contain unnecessary details. The last thing to worry about is the format of your portfolio.
This brief guide will guide you on everything so that you can create an effective, impressive, and awesome UX portfolio.
Choose the Right Format for Your UX Portfolio
First of all, choose the right format for your portfolio. Many designers choose a website or a PDF as their portfolio format. Apart from these two options, a platform website is also used in which you create a profile to showcase your content.
While each option has its own advantages and some disadvantages, a PDF format is the safest and convenient of all for many reasons. There is a risk that the website might not open in the dated browser of the client. Or what if their Internet connection is down?
Therefore, you should keep the PDF format of your UX portfolio. Another reason to use PDF is that it is easy to hide or show projects depending on the job or the skills you want to showcase. For example, you can use a master PDF or slide deck in this case.
Make sure to keep on a copy in Google Drive apart from those in a flash drive.
Read Also: How To Be An Effective UX Designer Working Remotely
Think What to Include in your UX Portfolio
This is the most important point in the UX portfolio creation. You need to narrow down what to include in your portfolio.
First of all, take a record of the projects you have done. You would like to exhibit your skills through multiple types of work. To do this, take note of all projects and ponder over the following things:
- What are my plus points?
- UX activities I like to do.
- Things setting me apart from other designers.
- Projects that have been learning curve to me.
- Some interesting trivia associated with the projects.
The next thing is to prioritize the projects to the job you’re looking for. When looking for a new job, customize your project selection to the job responsibilities you want to handle.
For instance, if you love to do prototyping, showcase projects where you built prototypes and how they affected the result. You are less likely to promote the work that you are not interested in, so make sure to avoid adding in projects that are not compatible with your future career goals.
Include Case Studies
Case studies show to your clients and recruiters how you solved specific problems and helped achieve the desired outcomes. In fact, they are the foundation of your UX portfolio and help clients or recruiters make up their mind about you.
A case study in your portfolio is just like evidence in a court case.
Your case study for a UX portfolio can be structured on these points:
- Overview of the Project
- Problems
- Users and Audience
- Responsibilities
- Scope and Constraints
- What you Did
- Outcomes and things you’ve learned.
For example, you can show how you helped a website of the elderly supplement by making its design and other visual elements compatible with the elderly audience.
Make sure to include the projects that align with your job description. The case studies should be displayed in a way that they are easy to scan and follow. You can include relevant images and screenshots to support your story, including sketches, whiteboards, documentation, or final photos.
Taking Care of Non-Disclosure Agreements
Some case studies are not allowed to discuss with anyone as they come under some sort of agreement.
There are a few ways to deal with that.
One of the basic things you can do is to avoid mentioning the name of your client. Prospective clients or employers might get the hint that way, but it is never confirmed. The recruiters are familiar with the problems you have solved but can see you are not violating your NDA.
Or you can have a PDF format to include everything. You can include the project, the client, their logos, their issues, and solutions. It will come handy in showcasing your work and the clients you have worked for.
But make sure to be extra careful here. Never share the information, whether it’s on your website or inside a PDF you submit online. This should be a physical copy you show to the clients or recruiters and bring it home afterward. This way, you can successfully showcase your expertise and avoid distributing the “NDA” protected information at the same time.
Remove Errors
Human beings are likely to make mistakes, especially when it comes to writing.
No matter how good you are in writing UX portfolio, there is still a risk for errors like typography mistakes and incorrect spelling.
Silly mistakes like “their” instead of “there” or “your” for “you’re” can affect the copy of your UX case study. Therefore, make sure to check it for spelling and grammar.
You can also use online tools like Grammarly or approach a professional proofreader.
Conclusion:
Always keep your UX design portfolio updated and in top shape even if you’re not seeking for employment in the near future. This will come handy when opportunities occur and you need to manage the things quickly. This way, you can make the process a lot smoother to deal with when you look to switch jobs or embrace opportunities.
We hope that our tips help you build an effective and impressive UX portfolio. All it requires your preparation, planning, and research. Work over your case studies from project notes and make sure to highlight your role, contributions, and responsibilities.
What do you think? Let us know by commenting below!
