1. Use a UX portfolio template from a website builder like Squarespace or Wix: Website builders like Squarespace and Wix include done-for-you UX portfolio templates that you can modify and add in your own work. Don’t waste time coding your own website unless you are going for a UX engineer jobs or coding jobs. We recommend staying away from building your UX portfolio on sites like Notion or Behance. This is because it is easier to scale website-based portfolios over time as you advance in your UX career. Websites are the most easily accessible artifact you can present- Notion and Behance require that the recruiter and hiring manager have additional know how about those specific platforms.

2. Present 3-5 UX portfolio case studies on your home page: Your homepage should contain 3-5 image tiles with headers that link to 3-5 case studies. This is the minimum amount of work you need to showcase as a UX designer or UX researcher. As you grow in your career, we recommend updating your UX portfolio every 3-6 months with new and relevant UX projects. You can always create a case study library to house all your “old” case studies.

3. UX portfolio homepage case study titles should be intriguing and interesting: Describe each case study in an intriguing and interesting manner rather than just saying “Dog Training App” or “YouTube Video Animation”. Make the reader intrigued by what they are about to read and see.

4. UX portfolio homepage case study images should be relevant to the work: Ensure that the images you use for your UX case studies are screenshots of screens you’ve designed or deliverables you have created. Do not use generic images. Again, make the reader intrigued by what more they could discover if they clicked into a specific case study.

5. Present links to an “About Me” page from your UX portfolio homepage: Your “About Me” section is where you can get a little bit more personal and describe who you are and what unique traits you bring to the table.

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6. Your “About Me” page should contain a short bio and profile picture: It is okay to get a little silly here and really showcase your personality and who you are. Include hobbies, skillsets, personal stories, mindsets, and more to make the reading interesting!

7. Your “About Me” page should contain links to your UX resume and LinkedIn profile: There should be buttons linking to your UX resume and LinkedIn profile that are highly prioritized on the page.

8. Your “About Me” page should include some way for recruiters to contact you: It can be useful to include a contact form in your about me page so that recruiters can contact you directly. You might also want to provide a Calendly link for them to schedule a call with you.

9. Each UX portfolio case study you present should follow the same template: Make sure that you are using the same case study template for all your case studies. This makes it easier for recruiters and hiring managers to quickly scan through all your work in 3-5 minutes. If they are interested, they will slow down and read a specific case study in more detail.

10. Your UX portfolio case study template should include a project overview: Your project overview should include the purpose of the project, who you collaborated with, what UX methodologies you used, how long the project took, and key KPIs and impact metrics.

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11. Your UX portfolio case study template should include sections about UX research: It is important to set the stage on the context of the project and why this project was important or impactful from a stakeholder perspective. What are some key UX research insights that shaped design decisions and the design process?

12. Your UX portfolio case study template should include sections about UX design: It is important to showcase what actions were taken and what solutions were implemented based on research context and problems uncovered. What are some key UX problems and stakeholder problems that were solved with new designs?

13. Walk through the end-to-end design process in your UX portfolio case study template: Showcase the end-to-end design process in some of your case studies, starting with discovery research, then ideation, prototyping, testing, launching and launch metrics if possible.

14. In your UX case study template, showcase UX research deliverables like: interview insights, user testing, user personas, user types, stakeholder maps, journey maps, process maps, and service design blueprints.

15. In your UX case study template, showcase UX design deliverables like: sketches, wireframes, low-fidelity and high-fidelity screens, user workflows, prototypes, animations, style guides, atomic design principles, design systems elements.

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16. Make use of videos within your UX case study template: We recommend including a 5-10 minute project pitch video that you showcase in the “Overview” section of the portfolio. Not everybody likes to read! Sometimes video makes things more accessible to all types of learners. Videos also show off how you communicate about your designs and reveal your storytelling skills.

17. Make use of short headers and sub-header descriptions in your template: Make sure that sub-headers and headers read like interesting articles and listicles you read online. Are the headers compelling and continue telling the story? Do sub-headers provide just enough context to make the reader want to read more?

18. Make use of before/after images of wireframes and screens in your template: It is a good practice to include before/after images of platforms or websites that you have redesigned. This is a good way for hiring managers to see the impact of your visual work.

19. Make use of visual deliverables in your template like: User types, user personas, stakeholder maps, process maps, user journeys, service blueprints, wireframes, low-fidelity and high-fidelity screens, videos of clickable prototypes.

20. Ensure easy scan-ability of your template: Use bullet points when you can rather than lengthy or overly wordy paragraphs.

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21. Use sans-serif typefaces in your template like Helvetica and Lato: Sans serif typefaces are easier to read and scan by hiring managers and recruiters and ensure better read-ability of your case study.

22. Ensure there’s enough white space between content sections in your template: Give each section in your UX case study enough space to breathe by ensuring that there is enough white space between content sections. Your case study should not feel cluttered.

23. Include KPIs (key performance indicators) in descriptions: Lead with the impact that you had on the project by revealing project metrics such as revenue increases, conversion rate increases, reducing costs, time saved, etc.

24. Use action-oriented language: Use active voice as opposed to passive voice. Start each sentence with an action verb.

25. Use simple language: Your portfolio language should be so simple that a fifth grader should be able to read it and understand it. Do include UX terminology and key terms, but don’t use overly complicated or flowery language.

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26. Include a “Next” button at the end of each case study: Ensure that recruiters and hiring managers can easily go back and forth between your different case study projects without having to click back to the homepage.

27. Highlight different UX methods in each case study: Highlight UX methods like discovery interviews, user testing, card sorting, IA exercises, wire-framing, ideation, workshop facilitation, prototyping, building a design system.

28. Know when to break up your work into multiple case studies: Sometimes it’s okay to dedicate one case study to a specific UX methodology. For example, you can choose to focus one case study on user testing and really go through your user testing process in detail when writing that case study.

29. Tell a cohesive story: Remember to tell a story. Don’t just write out your design process, but intrigue the recruiter and hiring manager with the way you tell your story.

30. Show, don’t tell: Remember to focus on impact. What impact did you have on the project or business? Show the impact, rather than just telling us about your design process. If you need help, book a mentorship call and we’ll work through your UX portfolio case studies together!

What is a UX portfolio?

A UX portfolio is a website deliverable that you need when applying to UX research, UX design, product design, and UI design jobs. Your UX portfolio should highlight examples from past work experiences and projects to showcase that you are a candidate with a right visual design and research skills needed for the UX job you are applying to.

What does a UX portfolio look like?

A UX portfolio is a website that includes a homepage with 3-5 case studies on UX project work or work experience. Each case study should highlight the design process, showcase design deliverables, and describe UX methodologies used. There should also be an “About Me” section or page that talks about the designer or researcher and the unique skills that they bring to the table.

How to make a UX portfolio?

We recommend building your UX portfolio on websites like Wix or Squarespace. Websites like Squarespace and Wix come with pre-made templates for UX portfolios, so its easy to modify those existing templates. This makes it easier to scale over time as you become a seasoned UX professional. You can keep adding work to your portfolio every 6-12 months.

Where to build a UX portfolio?

We recommend building your UX portfolio on websites like Wix or Squarespace. Websites like Squarespace and Wix come with pre-made templates for UX portfolios, so its easy to modify those existing templates. This makes it easier to scale over time as you become a seasoned UX professional. You can keep adding work to your portfolio every 6-12 months.

What makes a good UX portfolio?

A good UX portfolio tells a compelling story about each case study, and really highlights the impact of the designer or researcher’s work and how they impacted the larger business and tech goals. A good UX portfolio contains easy to read, scannable case studies that effectively tell show an impactful story in just a few minutes. Sometimes less is more!

What are some UX design portfolio examples?

When you book a UX portfolio review with us, we grant you access to a repository of UX design portfolio pitches and UX portfolio templates that will help you land Fortune 500 job interviews.

How do I write a UX portfolio case study?

Your UX portfolio case study should contain the following sections:

1. An overview detailing your design process, UX methods applied, time frame, who you collaborated with, and key impact metrics.

2. Context sections detailing the UX research deliverables and UX research methodologies such as discovery interviews, user personas, user journeys and more.

3. Context sections detailing the UX design deliverables and UX design methodologies such as user workflows, wireframes, card sorting, and more.

4. Visual sections showcasing visual work. Video sections showcasing how you communicate about your projects and tell a story.

Where can I find UX portfolio case study examples?

When you book a UX portfolio review with us, we grant you access to a repository of UX design portfolio pitches and UX portfolio templates that will help you land Fortune 500 job interviews.

Where can I get a UX portfolio critique?

When you book a UX portfolio review with us, we spend 90 minutes talking through how we can improve and re-write portions of your UX portfolio. We spend the first 30 minutes asking context questions and then do a deep dive into the UX portfolio for an additional 60 minutes. After the call, you will receive a video or email detailing all the edits to be made to the UX portfolio, as well as re-writes to sections, subsections and headers.

How do I create a UX portfolio for beginners?

We recommend joining our Self-Paced Online UX course or Live, Online UX course to start to build your portfolio as a UX beginner. We help you create 3-5 UX portfolio pieces that you can highlight in your UX portfolio.

Should I create a UX portfolio in Figma or a UX portfolio in Notion?

We do not recommend creating a UX portfolio in Figma or Notion because these platforms can be harder to access for recruiters and hiring managers. Instead, its best to use a website builder like Squarespace or Wix. If you are creating a case study for a specific design challenge needed for the UX interview process, then Figma or FigJam could be a good option.

How do I create a UX portfolio with no experience?

We recommend joining our Self-Paced Online UX course or Live, Online UX course to start to build your portfolio as a UX beginner. We help you create 3-5 UX portfolio pieces that you can highlight in your UX portfolio.