A service that uses plant care as a method to empower users to cultivate (and talk about) their own mental health., User journey map from the Cultivate case study. The 6 must-have components of a good UX researcher portfolio, according to a user experience career coach. The introduction contains all necessary elements: She provides an overview, introduces the team, the problem, and her role. Realistically, a product will continue to grow in an iterative process; explaining the direction the product is heading or talking about features that are coming up in future iterations is a great way to showcase this. In 2021 weve been seeing more and more dark UX portfolio examples. Leslies A Meal Planner for Everyone case study is minimalistic yet effective. Now that weve gone through the must-have sections of a UX portfolio and some examples of effective case studies, lets take a look at some additional tips and best practices to refer to when building your portfolio. It could be attributed to the combination of the amazing illustration on his homepage and his bold choice of colors. Whats more, she tied all her elements together, achieving visual coherence by using yellow as the accent color. So, achieving visual consistency with your project thumbnails can be hard. Be clear about the scope and limitations of your project. Though putting one together might seem like a huge undertaking, once you get an idea of what makes a great portfolio itll come easier. In UXfolio, this is a native feature both on the portfolio and the case study level. The only text on his home page is his mission statement, which is to invent and design user-friendly & accessible products and services with added value.. -Lend your graphic design skills to a worthy cause with donate:code. By the time were at the third, we know what to expect. Writing case studies for your UX portfolio can feel opaque and overwhelming. Resist the urge to simply redesign the interface. About the Author oz Oz first started UX Beginner was a way to document his own journey to become a UX designer. All UX case studies should include relevant visuals as too much text can be intimidating for readers. Include a section outlining next steps if you were to continue the work. These seven types of UX case studies make excellent portfolio material for UX designers looking to get their start in the industry. Fund open source developers The ReadME Project. It is her case study thumbnails that tie the whole portfolio page together visually by featuring mockups on grey backgrounds. Experts discuss new best practices for leading creative teams where collaboration happens remotely & in-office. Therefore, it has to look good & serve its purpose, which is to make your visitors want to learn about your work, aka read your case studies. He uses case study level password protection on two. Include as many visuals in your case studies as possible: wireframes, personas, user flows, sketches, and even doodles if you please! Jaclyn describes herself as someone with [an] eye for simplicity, keen observational skills, and obsession with organization skills that can be traced in her UX design portfolio. Where teams create the worlds best experiences at scale, powered by the leader in creative tools. Shubham included some of his wireframes, a final, embedded prototype, and even finished UIs to illustrate the entire design process. Dont be afraid to use the same for your case studies. Here is an example of next steps for a minimum viable product (MVP) for a wine-pairing app. This allows recruiters to instantly recognize what she has experience in. Avoid signing a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) for unpaid work. In case you need a tool to help build your portfolio quickly and easily, we made a great one: UXfolio. Mina does well on both ends. You need to understand your user (or reader) and their needs, then develop the right solution for them. Feel free to link externally to any documents that may be too lengthy for your portfolio site. Its better to have 3-4 great case studies than 5-6 mediocre. Matchy.. The first thing we see when landing on the portfolio is a high-quality photo of Bjorn, with a friendly smile on his face, alongside a short design manifesto. UX case studies are a form of professional content that mixes text and visuals to present the design process of products or product features. And only a very few portfolios have that effect. 2023 Coursera Inc. All rights reserved. The Storytelling Approach in UX Case Studies An essential part of the portfolio of a UX designer is the case studies that pack a showcase of the designer's skills, way of thinking, insights in the form of compelling stories. The first step to creating UX case studies is to choose the right projects to feature in your portfolio. I'm feeling discouraged and like my work doesn't measure up. We chose to showcase the Diem case study from Victorias portfolio because its such a great example of an app concept. An exceptional case study keeps the audience in mind I'm going to repeat what others have said many times before: your portfolio is just another design project. Well also take a look at how working UX designers present these types of case studies in their portfolios, and offer some takeaways and tips for making your portfolio shine. Just like sending a resum. Another option for a case study you can complete without any formal UX design experience is to build a concept app or website from scratch. This is reflected in his stunning UX design portfolio. Outline that problem and how you went about solving it in your case study. Aesthetically pleasing branding strategies help them effectively reach more customers. While the project thumbnails are quite large in size their content is way smaller. Luckily, its possible to craft a stellar portfolio that shows off your skills before youve ever had a paying client. Bjorns case study thumbnails dont follow an obvious color story, yet they work together perfectly. GitHub community articles . A case study should reflect a meaningful, learning or growth design experience where you worked with real stakeholders and created something of value for the customers. Focus on solving a real problem. And its worth hovering for these titles and subtitles! When recruiters and UX professionals look through dozens of applications they have only a few minutes. Salesforce Product Designer, Rachel used UXfolios thumbnail generator to create stunning thumbnails that match the style of the case studies theyre linking to. Showcase your process, not just the finished product. Her thumbnails share the same mockup style, resulting in an overall consistency. Mina includes only three case studies in her UX design portfolio, which is within the ideal range. For one, your story should be at the heart of your case study. Tie great UX back to business value (how does solving a user problem impact the business in a positive way?). Recruiters and UX professionals have to look through dozens of case studies each day. The case studies in Jokes portfolio are on the shorter side. Case studies aren't just for UX portfolios or for consulting proposals: they provide a narrative to describe your work to friends and colleagues. Present your design process step-by-step, from the beginning to the end. Contact: This doesnt have to be its own page, but be sure to give recruiters a way to get in touch after youve wowed them with your work. Whats more, they will also understand your work and case study quicker. Usability testing results chart for a Wish design challenge. Yet, each contains a nice balance of text and visuals. This is your opportunity to articulate which user research methodologies fit into your design process. Build a concise, clean, portfolio. When you are designing your own portfolio homepage pay attention to whitespace and margins. Figma Experience; Demonstrate a UX-focused Product Design portfolio with multiple case studies of products you worked on. If youre more interested in user research or user interface (UI) design, prioritize these elements in your case studies. Joshs portfolio is a great example of a project-focused portfolio. She doesnt overexplain her process, assuming that the reader has a general knowledge of UX principles and methods. Limiting your portfolio to three main sections will help keep it focused and showcase your UX design techniques in the most effective manner. Its also an option to present more information about the projects right on your own portfolio home page. This isnt exactly the case. In Danielles portfolio, the spotlight is on the UIs. This way she avoids an overload of information upon the first impression. UX heavyweight, 3.5yrs+ experience, with light UI. Nobody wants to look at a cramped portfolio and as much as you want to squeeze everything into a thumbnail you need to make some cuts to keep it simple. My Role main. Its also worth noting how she includes the orange accent color and typography in her portfolio and CV, even though theyre separate: one is a website the other a downloadable PDF document. This gives the whole portfolio an airy and light feel. The final section includes your Case Studies. Yesha Shah 144 Followers The 9 Best UX Design Portfolio Examples [Updated For 2023] Courses Programs to change your career UX Design UI Design Full-Stack Web Development Data Analytics Digital Marketing new Product Management new Introductory courses Intro to UX Design Intro to UI Design Intro to Frontend Development Intro to Data Analytics Intro to Digital Marketing new Choose a project you care about. This way you can be sure that you won't be judged based on mediocre work. Valeries is a good example that your thumbnails can diverge from the color scheme of your showcased projects if those dont fit together on your home page. Be sure to mention what you would have done differently if you did.. You'll also have the opportunity to participate in a Capstone project to build the front end of a web application. A hackathon project in your portfolio can demonstrate that you can: Think critically and solve problems under pressure, Yang Qian, a product designer at Palantir Technologies, presents a case study from a three-day LinkedIn hackathon for design and engineering students. Charlees portfolio is embracing variety while still keeping it focused. 7. You need to share design stories. He grew up in Texas, matured in Colorado, and spent his late 20s living in Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. After all, this process is a huge part of user-centered design. If youre ready to take the next step toward a career in user experience design, consider enrolling in the Google UX Design Professional Certificate on Coursera. Heres an example of a good structure to follow: Remember, hiring managers comb through a lot of portfolios, so its important to keep yours focused. Looking for a way to volunteer your UX design skills? Side projects or other work: If you have case studies or graphic design work beyond your few highlighted projects, give them a separate section where those who would like to see more can find them. This is a common problem for beginning UX designers looking for their first paying job. Is a Master's in Computer Science Worth it. In these cases, consider volunteering as a team or doing pro bono work as part of a nonprofit hackathon. This is where you get to show your personality and briefly talk about your history. She keeps it sleek with the white background of her portfolio front page, using one of UXfolios streamlined templates. Great case studies combine the following ingredients: While your home page and case studies are the most important elements of your portfolio, you should take it a step further. Whats more, Jaclyn wrote an engaging and memorable About page, which is a hard thing to do. Ready to land your dream job? Make sure your portfolio provides a good UX. Build a beautiful portfolio quickly and easily. Make sure to link this section from your introduction at the top of your case study in case your readers want to jump straight to it. Bjorns hero section is simple and welcoming. When it comes to storytelling and case studies, it is crucial to explicitly connect the research and the final outcome. Be sure to take photos of your work when completing a whiteboard challenge during an interview.. Roys is a playful and stunning UX portfolio with popping colors. This structure is basically the case study equivalent of presenting user research findings to a client. Free. Competitive UX analysis. These features include text ideas and guiding questions for copywriting, prototype embedding, scrollable mockups, galleries, statistics section and many, many more. Remember, they were working with a brief and real-world constraints.. Having your own hosted website can often be worth the extra expense. Nuwanthi prefers her case studies on the shorter side. Calvin 801 Followers He paired these descriptions with rough sketches trying to solve those particular challenges. Pixpa is an all-in-one portfolio building tool, offering modern, pixel-perfect templates, an intuitive drag-and-drop editor, customisable gallery layouts to showcase your work, and affordable pricing plans.