The 3 Most Important Things To Include In Your UX Portfolio
This episode is part of a series called Portfolio Principles. In this series, I help people to build a more effective portfolio. Get weekly portfolio building tips.
All opinions my own.
“What should I include in my portfolio?”
It is one of the first questions you ask yourself when you get started.
There are two ways I could answer this. Either I could give you a list of things to include in your portfolio, without reasoning. There are plenty of websites which can give you this.
Or I could give you an answer based on an underlying idea of why you should have an online portfolio. I could tell you what to include based on the real reason you should have a portfolio.
As you might have guessed I will go for the last approach.
So why do you need a portfolio? Because you have been told so? Because everyone has one? No, you need a portfolio because you need people. More specifically, you need people interested in your work. They are the ones that can give you opportunities in your career. Your portfolio can be a great platform to attract these people. To build relationships with them.
Seeing your portfolio as a place to build a network of followers helps you to identify what to include in your portfolio. Let’s list them out.
1. The Foundation: Enable People to Connect
You can have amazing projects, a great design or even millions of visitors. It only pays off if visitors can connect with you. That’s why first and foremost, your portfolio should be a place where people can connect with you. A digital business card.
Your portfolio should be a place where people can connect with you. A digital business card.
By enabling people to connect with you, you convert visitors into followers. Followers engage with you. This engagement can come in many forms. A tweet, a mail or an interview request. Even another portfolio visit is some kind of engagement. You need followers because they give you opportunities in your career.
What should you include in your portfolio to enable visitors to connect?
The most important page on your portfolio is your contact page. You should launch a contact page today. Even if that is the only page you will have. There are no excuses. Only start worrying about the other pages once you have published your contact page.
Make sure your contact page is complete. Some visitors like to connect through email, others might follow you on twitter. Enable your visitors to connect to you how they prefer.
2. Enable People to Get to Know You
More than anything, your portfolio is about you. Your uniqueness is the most valuable value proposition you have. It is what sets you apart from the competition.
People often show their work, but don’t show who is behind it. They think that their work is more important than them. Your work does not define you. Your work is just an expression of you. As a visitor, knowing the person behind the work, gives the work more meaning.
Your work does not define you. Your work is just an expression of you.
Employers looking to hire people for a long period acknowledge this. They look for people that fit their company. People that they want to work with. They won’t just hire people based on their work.
What should you include in your portfolio to enable visitors to get to know you?
Everything starts with an about me page. It is more important than your work. On this page, you should be telling your personal story. Share your viewpoint on the world, your industry and even on your own work. Be critical, be outspoken. This is the why behind your work.
Share your viewpoint on the world, your industry and even on your own work.
Additionally, have a blog. A blog is a fantastic platform to share anything that interests you. It’s a great way to show your visitors who you are.
3. Demonstrate your Skills
It goes without saying that your online portfolio is a great platform to demonstrate your skills.
How do you demonstrate your skills?
You don’t demonstrate your skills by telling that you are skilled, you do by showing you are. Let your visitors judge if this is true.
Instead of describing your product and process, you should be explaining it. You should be giving arguments for your decisions. Don’t just show a weather app. Explain why you wanted to design one in the first place. How did you achieve this goal?
In general, you don’t demonstrate your skills showing what, but by showing why and how you did it.
You don’t demonstrate your skills showing what, but by showing why and how you did it.
Most visitors are not interested in your projects. They don’t care about whether you built a weather app or a music dashboard. They look at these projects to judge how skilled you are. That’s why you should shift your focus from showing the destination to showing the journey.
To demonstrate your skills you should shift your focus from showing the destination to showing the journey.
If you demonstrate your skills well, your visitors are confident that you will achieve a similar level in a next project.
What to include in your portfolio to demonstrate your skills?
You should demonstrate your skills in detailed case studies. A case study starts with a why. The how (process) and what (final product) are built around this. That’s why a good case study is a good story. A story with a beginning, middle and plot.
A good case study is a good story. A story with a beginning, middle and plot.
Case Studies enable you to go in depth. This is what you need to do to demonstrate your skills. Your level of depth reveals your skills and your potential.
This is the 8th episode part of a weekly series called Portfolio Principles. In this series, I help you to build a more effective portfolio. Get weekly tips here.
