Let’s talk about UX portfolios

Start with what you know

Your portfolio should help others understand

• How you think and how you approach your work​
• What skills and interests you have​
• Who you are as a person​

Case studies are a great way to show your potential

What should it contain?

1. Role: What were your responsibilities in the project?​
2. Team: How and who did you work with? (stakeholders, developers, designers, product managers, etc.)​
3. Design story: What ideas lay behind your design?​
4. Design decisions: How did you translate business or user needs into your design?​
5. Way of thinking: Why you did what you did during the project.​

Let your personality and interests guide you

Authenticity rules
As you write about yourself, and your work and your aspirations as a designer, remember that writing well is a necessary tool in a designer’s toolbox.​

Let your personality shine, be honest about where you are in your career, and what you want to do.​

Where to build​ and show your portfolio

• A structured PDFMade in (for example) Figma
• Personal SiteWordpress, Notion, Webflow etc
• Portfolio PlatformUXFolio, Coroflot, Squarespace etc.

A final thought and a misconception

Why do you want to join the design industry?
Do you want to design mobile apps? ​
Do you want to specialise in something for the future?​
Do you want to work in a specific industry?​

Try to be specific with what interests you, and where you’d like to go in your career.​

Don’t be afraid to show your failures and challenges
There’s a big misconception that it’s important to show only the good stuff in a portfolio, to show how well you did and how everything worked out fine. This is far from the truth.

We want to know how you handle failure and setbacks when they happen – and they will, often more frequently.

Guides + Insights​

How to build your first portfolio​
https://www.semplice.com/beginner-guide​
​
How to write case studies​
https://www.semplice.com/how-to-write-case-studies-for-your-portfolio​
​
How to write your about page​
https://www.semplice.com/how-to-create-your-about-page​
​
How to finish your portfolio​
https://www.semplice.com/portfolio-building-checklist​

Jared Spool (UX industry veteran) on building a portfolio to land a great design job​
https://blog.uxfol.io/how-to-build-a-ux-portfolio/​

Jake Knapp (Design Sprint inventor) on how a good design story gets you hired​
https://blog.uxfol.io/jake-knapp-design-portfolio/​

Inspiration + Portfolio Samples​

Novia Chao (Early Career)​
https://www.noviachao.com/​

Victoria Tu (Early Career)​
https://victoriatu.info/​

Birgir Baldursson (Early Career)​
https://www.birgirbaldurs.com/​

Jaclyn Chao​
https://www.jaclynchao.com/​

Malin Bergqvist​
https://www.malinbergqvistdesign.com/work​

Bestfolios (Inspiration)​
https://www.bestfolios.com/​

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