3 Tips on Creating a UX Portfolio
When I first realized that I had to create a portfolio after my program, I foolishly uttered the words “How hard can it be?”. It turned out to be harder than I thought. I couldn’t decide on anything: layout, colors, which site to host it on, etc. And once I did decide on those, I couldn’t decide on the copy. How many words are too much? Are they even going to read this? Should I only focus on the process? How much of the process do I include? Should I show a picture of each artifact?
I’m happy to say that I finished my portfolio 4 weeks after the program ended, had it up live for 2 weeks, and then decided to delete it all and start from scratch. Hopefully, you won’t make the same mistakes I did, and if you follow these tips, maybe you won’t have to.
- Pick ONE site that you like and copy it
Everyone knows that copying is how you learn. Everyone also knows that too many choices can lead to decision paralysis. There are so many beautiful portfolio websites out there. With my first rendition of my portfolio, I tried to incorporate all of them into one. It led to a jumbled up mess. With my second rendition, I found one that spoke to me and copied the layout. This saved me time, brainpower, and left me with a portfolio I’m happier with. If for whatever reason you can’t pick one, know that a portfolio is a living document. You can always go for a different design in version 3.0
2. Document, Document, Document
In nursing school, they tell you “If it’s not documented, you didn’t do”. One should have that same mindset when it comes to a UX project. Document your process, what you learned, and how you felt during the time of the project. This will help tremendously when coming up with copy and what to focus on for your case studies.
3. Design it first on Sketch
Or any prototyping software you choose. It may seem like it’s double work but you’re not designing it fully. Have placeholder text and pictures if you need to. This is really to get the overall vision of what you want your website and case study to look like. Make a low-fi prototype and maybe you’ll be able to see and catch what works and what doesn’t work visually before you start putting it on an actual website. Believe me, it’s way easier to make changes on a sketch file than it is once the portfolio is live.
We all have short attention spans these days but if you want more tips or if you have questions about my UX journey feel free to reach out charitymichele.m@gmail.com
Version 3.0 of my portfolio is live at charitymichele.com
Thank you for reading!
