10 recommendations for how and why your portfolios should focus on how you think as a Designer.
At the beginning of Sep 2022, I had the honor of presenting to designers around the world via UXtalks and ADPlist.
If you missed out on the talk here is what I had to talk about…
As a Designer (UX/UI/IxD/Product/Graphic) our portfolios are a requirement in order to show off our work. They are a vehicle for getting into conversations with other designers and businesses which hopefully will substantiate more work.
If you google UX Portfolio there will be 100’s if not 1000’s articles published on this very topic, my advice is going to join this crowded space as well, and the amount of advice from designers, hiring managers, recruiters, and business owners are enough to drive you little quackers.
To get started…
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A PERFECT PORTFOLIO!
I apologize for screaming but some of the content out there talks about portfolios like you are baking the “perfect cookie.” A portfolio is a living breathing reflection of the designer. They are difficult! They are dynamic, and they are never truly “done” but they are done enough to get a designer more work.
So let’s start with Good Design.
In my talk as well as the recommendations below I have applied Deiter Ram’s 10 Principles of Good Design to a Good UX portfolio. So here we go…
There are many ways to improve your portfolio and hopefully you will find ways to apply these 10 recommendations. I can speak for my self and say that I too am also working at applying these recommendations because portfolios are hard!
As a reminder to designers of any level:
A porfolio is a conversation starter and though they are a bit of a hassle to maintain if you are not having the conversations you want to have. Look to update your work and get feedback from your community.
The best way to improve your portfolio is to show it to a lot of people. Start with other designers but treat it like you would a product your are designing. Design > Iterate > Test. Good luck.
More Resources:
https://www.bestfolios.com/portfolios
Read the full article here
