5 things I learned while creating a UX/UI design portfolio
The dreaded word for some newbie UX/UI designers…
PORTFOLIO.
or maybe for some…
CASE STUDY.
How do you even create an engaging case study? How do I show my research in an interesting way where it’s not boring. How do I show my personality in a portfolio? How…….?
I’ve been asking myself these questions over and over again for the past month since I finished my 12-week UX/UI bootcamp. I’ve been talking with my bootcamp career coach, design experts, and established product designers to get a little bit more insight in what my portfolio needs. I’ve compiled a list of my own personal learnings of my experience designing a UX/UI portfolio.
1. Stop comparing!
There are TONS of design portfolios out there, especially on bestfolios. Yes, I’m sure you’ve been on there, too :) I go on that site to get inspiration, but there are so many times when I’ll go down a really long rabbit hole of “How come I’m not that good…?” and start to compare…
BUT…
They’re them and I’m me.
“Don’t compare yourself to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.”
— Regina Brett
Looking at amazing design work, it’s easy to forget that some of these UX/UI designers have had YEARS of experience and honestly speaking, I’m not going to be at the same level they’re at when they have over five years of experience. Being able to accept that it’s okay to stumble, fail, and that I have plenty of room to grow gives me hope that one day I’ll be as good as them in the future. Don’t stop learning, growing, and failing!
2. Your portfolio is never really done.
Attending the 2020 AIGA Portfolio Festival, I was told by Adobe Senior UX Designer, Archie Bagnall, “Your portfolio is never really finished”. There’s going to be new projects to add. You’ll take old projects out. The cycle will never end. It sounds daunting, but it gave me a lot of reassurance because I felt like my portfolio had to be perfect. There has to be a point where you’re content with it and just send it through a job application or a recruiter. If you sit there in front of your computer trying to improve every single thing on it, no one will be able to see your great work.
3. Don’t be afraid to explain yourself.
When I first started working on my portfolio, I was skeptical my case studies were too long. Constantly being told, “Don’t keep it long. Just don’t keep it long,” it really made me think that I couldn’t explain myself fully in detail in my case studies. Yeah, visuals are great in portfolios, but in UX, there’s a process, and being a UX/UI designer you have to be able to explain the decisions you made and the research you did. I’ve learned that long paragraphs are fine in case studies, as long as it has enough sustenance of the research and the design decisions you made.
4. Make it interesting by storytelling.
“Stories are how we remember. We tend to forget bullet points.”
— Robert McKee
Behind every product, there’s a user that has a purpose as to why he or she is using it. This has been one of the most fascinating things to me learning UX/UI design because I can put a face on somebody who could potentially use the product I’m designing. Interviewing users, I always tend to get really personal stories about their experiences with everyday things. It can be easy to forget, but there’s a deeper significance behind user interviews, user journeys, and even personas, but UX/UI design is there to solve user problems and it’s built to makes lives easier and better. Share that experience with people who are viewing your portfolio.
5. Ask for feedback.
When I signed up for a portfolio review for the 2020 AIGA Portfolio Festival, I was really nervous to share my portfolio with people who were established in the design industry. However, I quickly learned that these design professionals are really there to help. They want to give constructive feedback, advice, and share the ins and outs of design. Even when they comment on improvements I need to make, they’re there to give me valuable insight. I have the opportunity to improve my portfolio and be a better designer, who doesn’t want that? I’m making conscious efforts to be less scared and intimidated to ask for feedback because it‘ll be a path leading to an abundant amount of growth and learning.
Creating a portfolio can be tedious and a lot of hard work, but the lack of sleep, time, and energy that goes into it is all really worth it in the end. Portfolios are there to share your amazing work and many of these projects we worked on for weeks and months! Most importantly, portfolios will help you get your foot in the door so you want to do it right. I’m still learning and growing as a designer and am looking forward to all of the drastic changes my portfolio will be going through over the many years. :)
