UX — Creating my first case study & battling impostor syndrome
Getting that portfolio up, one iteration at a time.
I haven’t written on here in a while, not because I didn't want to or didn't have anything to say. I always have a lot to say.
This break happened because I was finishing up the first of my three projects in the Google UX/UI Certificate course.
This module was the final one for project one and it demanded an online published portfolio along with the standard slide-deck Google makes us complete with the course. I was all set with Squarespace right from March, when I started this course, and excited to finally start building my portfolio.
About time, I thought.
Armed with my multiple usability-tested hi-fidelity prototype, innumerable downloaded pdfs, bookmarked web pages, and two notepads full of notes, I began.
Over the last months, I have read and saved at least hundreds of posts and articles about what a portfolio should be like. The number of opinions from different experts, their completely contradicting advice and various articles on “How to write your case study?”, or “How to make your portfolio stand out?” are enough for any newcomer to drown in the depths of impostor syndrome.
Reduce text, and make it visually appealing. No one has time to read your long descriptions of how you did it.
Show your process, not just the finished product. They need to know your thought process.
Make your projects page the home page, keep your bio and introduction elsewhere.
Introduce yourself first, they want to know who you are.
Do you see what I mean? The above sentences seem pretty confusing at the beginning, and I’m sure you have read them somewhere.
After endless deliberation and procrastination, I decided to start while trying and maintaining a balance between the points above.
Also looking at portfolios of existing, established UX professionals is helpful overall, but look at more than 5 and you are doomed.
Simon Pan is a portfolio celebrity…his portfolio tops almost every list I saw.
But here’s the thing. The projects he showcases are giants, whereas we mere beginners only have so much to show. Solo projects, mostly fictional, maybe some volunteer work and that's it. I really liked the simple layout without too many distractions on his website, but again there was so much text.
The dilemma is almost Shakespearean, “More Text or No Text?”, “More visuals or Less?”
Eventually, I shut down all tabs on Chrome and started typing. Most advice articles also suggested making it like “storytelling”, so that's what I did.
Here’s My Portfolio, you can have a detailed look here.
As you can see in the first image right at the beginning, I included one sentence about me, along with some pencil sketches to show a little bit of my personality at a glance. Below that is where my projects start.
My project prompt was —
“Design an e-commerce app for a local boutique.” Click on this link to view the case study and prototypes.
I tried to keep it short, but it still got pretty descriptive.
The process has to be showcased they said, so I tried my best to include all the important steps without making it drag. I struggled with one important element though, UX Research.
UX Research deserves its own case study.
How could I summarize all the research and processes and deliverables in short? UX Research is detailed, painstaking, and revealing. It’s the foundation of the UX design process.
I included a short summary of it on my main project page but eventually decided to add a complete slide deck pdf UX Research Case study as a link for those who wanted to view it.
Did I want to use the standard Google slide deck that came with the course, the one millions of learners around the world are using? No, and I wanted to change the order, tell my process, my thoughts in my way.
I started afresh, with all my notes, and files open. All the information and all the learning got organized and as it took shape, my impostor syndrome started fading away.
You can view my Research case study here
So here I am, now on project 2 and advancing steadily.
PORTFOLIO building, one step at a time.
My journey so far has been exhilarating, scary, and motivating.
UX is a whole world, these two terms alone encompass so many steps, ideas, and processes that I am sure the learning never ends, not even for seasoned professionals.
I hope every one of us out there gets what we are looking for, I wish everyone the best.
Fellow learners, let's discuss portfolios? I hope you have a look at mine and leave a comment, or share your journey of when you made yours for the first time.
It is nerve-wracking, to share this on here. But we are all here for healthy critique and feedback
My portfolio is far from complete, it’s a work in progress, constantly being iterated upon.
A UX designer’s portfolio itself is like a UX design project, maybe we should recruit volunteer participants ( recruiters and senior UX’ers), and run usability studies. Now that would be exciting…maybe I will do that once I have at least 3 or 4 projects on there.
Until then, wish me luck…off I go.
Iterating…
I am open to all advice and feedback, I know there are many of us out there.So chime in, and let’s connect. Thanks for reading.
Find me on LinkedIn.
