UX Portfolio Advice
UX Portfolio Advice
Sep 19, 2023
Sep 19, 2023
Some notes on common UX portfolio advice and examples of "north star" case studies and slidedecks.
Common Portfolio Advice
I've spent a lot of time reading feedback on other portfolios as I was designing my own. The most common feedback I saw being given were as follows:
📖 Focus on telling a story instead of following a checkbox process.
Keep only the parts that contribute to the story; you don’t need to explain every step. Additionally, show your own personality as you talk about what you did — what were your opinions as you went through the design journey? Be honest about the highs and lows of the project.
🗺 Establish context.
Even if the context was "this was an assignment for class," there are still user needs to be addressed. Explaining how you identified the problem you solved for at the beginning acts as a hook for people viewing your portfolio.
Likewise, each design decision should be explained. Showing the insights that you came to via affinity diagrams is much more compelling than showing the diagram itself. Think about…
Why you chose this placement, typeface, or methodology?
What didn’t go well and what did you learn?
How this step connects to the one before and after?
📢 Call back to your design decisions.
Tell them once, tell them again. Each piece of research, each insight, should be reflected and referred back to when you talk about your solutions and design decisions. Keep a running thread throughout the work to connect everything together.
✍ Cut down on text.
Lead with visuals first, and text second.
Use scannable headings, short sentences & paragraphs (optimal line length is 45-75 chars, paragraphs start feeling long around the 5th line).
Show thinking through images if possible. This doesn't always have to be designs, but also diagrams and cards.
Avoid explaining things UX professionals already know.
Use ChatGPT for help cutting down words (ex: (simplify, condense, retain personal voice, make more efficient).
⚠ Cut down on unnecessary artifacts.
Avoid showing lots of work just to show that you did a lot of work (e.g. screenshots of entire Figma file or Figjam boards, entire personas, affinity diagrams). These artifacts are often unreadable and can lack focus.
Case Study Examples
Here's a collection of portfolios that I personally found helpful to reference, sorted by what I think their greatest strengths are. XR gets it's own category since it's a bit more focused.
✨ Compelling Storytelling
✨ Visual Artifacts
✨ Fun Website Design
✨ Designers in XR
Portfolio Presentations
It's recommended to present your work with a slidedeck when interviewing as opposed to your website for more control over your presentation.
Some examples I found helpful:
Tony Aube (Google, Amazon, Meta)
Sharon Yeun Kim (Amazon, IBM)
Christy Hu (Google)
Julia Fernandez (Meta, Duolingo, LinkedIn)
The basic structure for a 30 min presentation:
Intro, Agenda Outline (5 min)
Project 1 (10 min)
Project 2 (10 min)
Conclusion (5 min)
However, different companies have different expectations (some prefer no presentation and a more casual mood, others require presentations) and time allotments for this, so check in advance if possible, or be prepared to condense to the scenario in which you only have 5 minutes, or 1 minute, to convey your ideas.
Notes from Tiffany Eaton
Important points:
Explain how you navigate through process that led you to final product
Take company's values and design culture into consideration
Tell a story; how did you tackle problems and how did it get you to next steps? Use the pieces of your process to tell a story.
Be honest and upfront about your design process.
Talk slowly :-)
Check if you've answered these questions:
What is your project about?
How did you contribute and collaborate with others?
Who are you designing for?
What is the main problem you were trying to solve? Scope? Constraints?
How did you execute your project?
Why is this part of the process important and how does it help you understand the problem?
How does your solution connect to the problem?
What are the key things you want your audience to know?
How to choose which projects to present?
Research company's design values, culture, and platform
Identify which projects you have that can tie into key values
Take care of your audience
Check throughout the presentation if your audience is paying attention — if they seem like they might be zoning out, you can ask them a question or if everything makes sense.
Some notes on common UX portfolio advice and examples of "north star" case studies and slidedecks.
Common Portfolio Advice
I've spent a lot of time reading feedback on other portfolios as I was designing my own. The most common feedback I saw being given were as follows:
📖 Focus on telling a story instead of following a checkbox process.
Keep only the parts that contribute to the story; you don’t need to explain every step. Additionally, show your own personality as you talk about what you did — what were your opinions as you went through the design journey? Be honest about the highs and lows of the project.
🗺 Establish context.
Even if the context was "this was an assignment for class," there are still user needs to be addressed. Explaining how you identified the problem you solved for at the beginning acts as a hook for people viewing your portfolio.
Likewise, each design decision should be explained. Showing the insights that you came to via affinity diagrams is much more compelling than showing the diagram itself. Think about…
Why you chose this placement, typeface, or methodology?
What didn’t go well and what did you learn?
How this step connects to the one before and after?
📢 Call back to your design decisions.
Tell them once, tell them again. Each piece of research, each insight, should be reflected and referred back to when you talk about your solutions and design decisions. Keep a running thread throughout the work to connect everything together.
✍ Cut down on text.
Lead with visuals first, and text second.
Use scannable headings, short sentences & paragraphs (optimal line length is 45-75 chars, paragraphs start feeling long around the 5th line).
Show thinking through images if possible. This doesn't always have to be designs, but also diagrams and cards.
Avoid explaining things UX professionals already know.
Use ChatGPT for help cutting down words (ex: (simplify, condense, retain personal voice, make more efficient).
⚠ Cut down on unnecessary artifacts.
Avoid showing lots of work just to show that you did a lot of work (e.g. screenshots of entire Figma file or Figjam boards, entire personas, affinity diagrams). These artifacts are often unreadable and can lack focus.
Case Study Examples
Here's a collection of portfolios that I personally found helpful to reference, sorted by what I think their greatest strengths are. XR gets it's own category since it's a bit more focused.
✨ Compelling Storytelling
✨ Visual Artifacts
✨ Fun Website Design
✨ Designers in XR
Portfolio Presentations
It's recommended to present your work with a slidedeck when interviewing as opposed to your website for more control over your presentation.
Some examples I found helpful:
Tony Aube (Google, Amazon, Meta)
Sharon Yeun Kim (Amazon, IBM)
Christy Hu (Google)
Julia Fernandez (Meta, Duolingo, LinkedIn)
The basic structure for a 30 min presentation:
Intro, Agenda Outline (5 min)
Project 1 (10 min)
Project 2 (10 min)
Conclusion (5 min)
However, different companies have different expectations (some prefer no presentation and a more casual mood, others require presentations) and time allotments for this, so check in advance if possible, or be prepared to condense to the scenario in which you only have 5 minutes, or 1 minute, to convey your ideas.
Notes from Tiffany Eaton
Important points:
Explain how you navigate through process that led you to final product
Take company's values and design culture into consideration
Tell a story; how did you tackle problems and how did it get you to next steps? Use the pieces of your process to tell a story.
Be honest and upfront about your design process.
Talk slowly :-)
Check if you've answered these questions:
What is your project about?
How did you contribute and collaborate with others?
Who are you designing for?
What is the main problem you were trying to solve? Scope? Constraints?
How did you execute your project?
Why is this part of the process important and how does it help you understand the problem?
How does your solution connect to the problem?
What are the key things you want your audience to know?
How to choose which projects to present?
Research company's design values, culture, and platform
Identify which projects you have that can tie into key values
Take care of your audience
Check throughout the presentation if your audience is paying attention — if they seem like they might be zoning out, you can ask them a question or if everything makes sense.
©2023
©2023