prototypes, UIs and other deliverables from the project. If you have a lot to choose from, go for quality and diversity. What tell-tale signs will you look out for after you’ve launched or relaunched the product? a multi-disciplinary level. As a general rule, it needs a short welcome Build your UX writing portfolio on a simple structure that introduces you, reveals your process, and inspires action. Just like Elizabeth, support each case study with meaningful visuals—that is, real artifacts from your project, not just illustrations. visitors’ attention to your work where your talent shines. A UX writing portfolio showcases your skills and process through work samples and case studies. proves that you take your profession seriously. their natural habitat! This is a great way to demonstrate initiative and show that you’re a proactive designer who is willing to go the extra mile. of experience, each of the above categories could serve you well. In other words, Daniel has found the number that works for him: He features just enough projects to showcase his range as a designer, while still keeping it limited enough so as not to overwhelm the user—smart UX design in action! If you want people and opportunities to find you make it easy for them to do so. A portfolio is a great way to share projects with prospective employers, as well as make an impression with your UX skills. One can’t help but be impressed by Priyanka’s initiative and drive. At the same time, don’t overwhelm the viewer: a hiring manager looking through your portfolio probably won’t browse through ten UX case studies, so choose wisely! At this stage, the goal is to collect as much material as possible. What information should your portfolio present? Try some of these It factors before showcasing your copy! Moritz Oesterlau is a multi-skilled product / UX designer based in Germany. So, in addition to real client projects, Priyanka’s UX portfolio also showcases some rather impressive unsolicited redesigns. Fun fact: The The golden rule is to show final copies in Testing is what differentiates UX from more She shows us exactly how it came to light, and in what capacity she was employed to help solve it. Nice! First, she treats us to a bold, eye-catching headline that describes her in terms of her favorite activities. For further tips and advice on building your own UX design portfolio, check out the following articles, and watch the portfolio review below: And finally, if you’re a UX designer looking to specialize, we’ve also written guides to building portfolios for UX writing and UX research. case studies much. Daniel’s portfolio teaches us an important lesson about the “right” number of portfolio projects: There isn’t one! out your work, contact you, follow you on social media or read your blog. Our UX Writing … portfolio! Visitors will not have the time to read Mentioning such collaboration will prove that you can cooperate on Just like Moritz, she presents her design work in the form of case studies, documenting her process from start to finish. Just remember that visuals without context are but If you’re a new UX designer trying to build up your portfolio, take a leaf out of Priyanka’s book and complete some unsolicited redesigns of your own. Just because you’re a UX designer doesn’t mean you can neglect the visual design of your portfolio. Vera Chen is a product designer and former Facebook intern. We make design decisions with purpose. UX writing is the practice of designing the Grouping work samples based on a shared Next, Olivia explains, in detail, how she set about trying to solve this problem—in a section aptly named “There Must Be Something Out There”. Besides crafting a gripping “about me” statement, try to inject a bit of personality into the visual design, too—just like Gloria’s colorful hover effect. Features typefaces disguised as a plant or a fruit. Keep it compact yet high-impact on the home page, and then provide more detail in a dedicated “About” section. With that in mind, let’s take a look at our selection of nine amazing UX design portfolios from around the web. Showcase your process, not just the finished product. She’s also got some rather impressive awards to her name, including the Paula Rhodes Memorial Award for Exceptional Achievement in Interaction Design. is better, but takes away from your copy’s effect. For example, if you don’t have many Your best work for a specific But what even is a UX writing portfolio and how to make one that is up to par? Amy Wu is a San Francisco-based UX / product designer and accomplished speaker. Include those as well! appearance. decisions based on research and not only personal preferences. Master the craft of writing for user interfaces. Tips for your UX writing portfolio when you’re starting out. The best is to show copies via screenshots. You know you’ve improved the user experience, but how do you substantiate that? If you have data related to the project, this will be easy—but what if there aren’t any concrete metrics to showcase? Look no further than Amy Wu’s portfolio. Priyanka Gupta is a product designer and tech enthusiast based in San Francisco. Just make sure to feature Most browsers support PDF, so they won’t need another program to view it. The best portfolios offer the full package—detailed case studies wrapped in stunning UI design and flawless UX—so aim to tick all the boxes! Wildly Organic: CoFo Farm Specimen. Display all your contact info and social media links in strategic places. Do not allow them the chance to see mediocre work! Contrast Foundry UX Email Writing. So what can you do? If you’ve got lots more work you want to showcase, add a separate section. will not know which copy is yours on the page or in the app. UXfolio is made for UXers, so it comes with UX-specific sections, mockups, ideas, and downloadable materials. … She has a Master’s degree in Human-Centered Design and Engineering, and has also dabbled in singing and acting. looking for in a good UX writer. Don’t just state the problem; relate to it and put some emotion behind it! Following the UX leads’ advice, let’s see which things you must include in your portfolio to get their attention. Protection on the case-study level is a better It should introduce you as a designer and give the viewer an understanding of how you work. best. to your case studies and samples right from your home page through appealing website, where visitors can get in touch after learning about you and your expertise. Your UX writing portfolio has three main goals: to explain a customer issue, demonstrate what your process is, and then illustrate what the finished solution will be. He is fascinated by the social product space and is currently researching the intersection between technology and mental illness. proves that it supports business goals. from the hardest: case studies. For added Gloria has nailed her designer introduction with a three-tiered approach. likeminded people to find you with opportunities, instead of the other way Just by including these few extra details, Vera paints a clear picture of what the project entailed and how she contributed. reveal your solutions and your readers get to see what you are capable of. So, showcase initial drafts and all When she’s not solving problems with beautiful, user-centric web products, you can find her playing around with electronics, making video loops, building ceramic and metal sculptures, or producing electronic music. subsequent iterations, including failed ones. Corporate and serious? In the future try to But remember, going overboard with stats and So, tell your readers in what way were those visuals helpful to you. You’ll notice that Moritz doesn’t show the finished product until the very end of each case study, and that’s because he’s telling a logical story. We’ve talked a lot about the importance of showcasing your UX design process. Now that you’ve got a glimpse of UX writing It is more lightweight than There are two key lessons we can learn from Olivia’s portfolio: first, start each case study by framing the problem in detail, and second, frame the problem in a way that conveys empathy. She has spent the last five years working in tech startups, immersed in the world of UX and design thinking. For each case study in your UX portfolio, provide as much context as you can. Good UI copy enables confident Amy does an extremely important (yet incredibly rare) thing: she puts her work as a UX designer in the context of business. Employers and potential clients want to know who you are and what you’re all about—and they should be able to find this out within seconds of landing on your portfolio website. Austin works as a product designer at Google and openly shares his projects, thoughts and ideas. Here, he links to articles he’s written on Medium, additional projects he’s worked on, as well as upcoming endeavors. We’re not the first to review Moritz’s portfolio. Not all companies give the same title to UX writers. Close your case study with learnings to At the same time, listing your teammates is a nice touch; UX design is a highly collaborative field, so it’s important to demonstrate individual value while acknowledging that the end result was a team effort! First, though, let’s consider exactly what a UX portfolio is and the purpose it serves. UX Writing Portfolio I have extensively created content for major tech companies and tv networks such as Google, Apple, Newscorp (Disney), Sony Pictures, Zee TV as a UX writer and creative … Your UX design portfolio should demonstrate your approach to problem-solving. Let’s take Vera’s Wedding Library case study, for example. For example, creating a more pleasant app experience for the user should help to boost customer retention. Bady. If you are including bigger screenshots, use She could just stick to the standard case study format, but as we know, she’s the kind of designer who likes to go above and beyond. Choose 3–5 Projects as Detailed Case Studies. A UX designer’s portfolio should demonstrate exceptional UX. If you’re pretty new to the profession but have previous writing … theme is another common way to showcase UX writing. Above all, think about the language you use. If you are not sure how, check out our guide to UX designer cover letters. Case study is the most effective format to career, expertise, and passion in brief. In the section that follows, “Taking The Dive”, Olivia shares the next steps in her problem-solving journey: brainstorming the elements of a successful date. “Sometimes people end up talking too much about themselves and not about the work and the problems they solved.”. If you want to brand yourself as a versatile, adaptable designer, feature as diverse a variety of projects as possible. option if you are in a hurry, you are a junior, or you haven’t worked on longer Moritz studied UX design with CareerFoundry and is now part of the Global Goals Curriculum 2030 team, helping to shape a democratic, just, and sustainable society through the power of education. Each case study should tell a complete, logical story. metrics is overwhelming for the reader. Supporting your case studies with visual artifacts really brings the project to life. portfolio even when applying for an internship even as a complete beginner. With each case study, start from the beginning and guide the viewer through the main steps that led you to the final solution. What were you commissioned to do? For that, you need to include a. When showcasing your UX design work, follow Moritz’s example and place your process front and center. Amy also states a timeline for the project, demonstrating the scale and scope of her work: “Within 6 months, Citi Bike relaunched the new onboarding flow across 330+ kiosk stations in August 2014.”, Amy rounds off her case study with a post-relaunch analysis, using concrete data to show how the Citi Bike redesign affected usage: “We found that, a month after launch, ridership amongst one-time users increased by 14%.”. Add a short intro to each example She also clearly explains her role on each project, who she worked with, and what tools and methods they used. Zara Drei is a London-based UX designer. Finally, do not forget about the UX of your Not only is Vera’s portfolio a beautiful thing to behold (just look at those illustrations! A UX portfolio markets your skills and talents wherever you’re at in your career. testers to show how important their feedback was to your process. your portfolio being the first result when somebody searches your name. We’ll walk you through all building blocks, including the. It shapes all parts of a product, including its Just like your case studies, the overall aesthetic of your portfolio should tell a story about who you are as a designer. A lot depends on your home page since it’s In UXfolio you can create a contact form in a few clicks, but it doesn’t take much longer in other platforms either. Let your reader know of these an easily digestible statistics section. can better understand and appreciate your decisions on tone and vocabulary. This doesn’t stop her from conducting unsolicited redesigns when she comes across intolerably bad UX—as she puts it, it’s like an itch she just needs to scratch! Annoyingly hard to build, ridiculously essential for getting a UX job. In just four simple verbs, we know that Gloria is a creative, multi-talented soul with quite a few hobbies in her repertoire. you’d think, and its content shapes your visitors’ opinion of you as a writer. arrows or underlines to highlight the copy that is yours. Gloria has mastered the delicate art of brevity while still managing to convey the most important information—not an easy feat! A simple yet visible download link on your portfolio home page is all you need. Learn how to work with a design team, and leave any course with a portfolio-ready project. Directly beneath that unmissable heading, Gloria tells us exactly what she does and what she’s passionate about in just two sentences. Your UX design portfolio should therefore demonstrate how you identify and tackle a variety of user problems. UX writing portfolios are not entirely dissimilar from UX design portfolios. Moritz leaves no stone unturned, documenting the project from start to finish. Or take it a step further and add a contact form to your portfolio. The climax of your case study is where you case studies, let’s see what grouped work samples are about. It shows what you do, how you do it, and how well you can demonstrate it. make your portfolio easily digestible and less text-heavy. Refer back to the problem throughout. What is a UX writing portfolio? She doesn’t just talk about the “user” problem—she frames it as “our” problem, inviting the reader to step into the user’s shoes, just as she has done. Elizabeth Lin’s portfolio provides another excellent example of storytelling. It’s okay to include screenshots of a beautiful end product, but make sure you’ve documented your process in detail first. Why would you want to hide your introduction or your contact form? This … You need to provide work samples or a After attempting to find something locally, I searched websites such as volunteermatch.orgfor remote opportunities, using “UX” as a keyword. After each, add a conclusion about First and foremost, provide plenty of background context—this works wonders when telling the story of each case study. Olivia’s portfolio does a great job of this, as you’ll see in her Routr case study. Craft a compelling headline that provides all the most important information at a glance. and we’ll also show you some great portfolio examples for inspiration. So, put your ego aside, and cater to their needs. After all, that’s what recruiters are Just as Priyanka does, be transparent about the fact that these are unsolicited projects—a simple disclaimer is all you need. Featuring plain text From preparing your brand new portfolio to establishing the UX writing … Each project is presented as a case study, which immediately tells us we’re in for a lot more than just eye candy. If you’re not sure how to navigate this balance between words and visuals yourself, tak… There is something very professional about For most designers, getting started on your portfolio … your work samples and give them structure. A UX writing portfolio showcases your Finally, feature a few quotes from your Your portfolio should embody your personal brand, so treat it like any other UX project and give it the high-shine finish it deserves! It is a one-stop professional website, where … Your work samples will make the most important asset of your UX writing portfolio. And there is a chance that your Increase conversion with better microcopy. Since you are not a UI designer, nobody expects you to feature refined mockups on your thumbnails. Early on in your UX career, you might struggle to fill your portfolio with real projects. Whether you’re starting from scratch or breathing new life into your existing portfolio, there are certain ground rules you’ll need to bear in mind. Building UX Writing portfolio with no experience Hey all, I saw a few posts asking how to build a UX Writing portfolio with no experience. A flawless portfolio that truly makes its mark. Aside from creating awesome user experiences, Priyanka is also pretty active on Medium. average time spent viewing a case study is 3 minutes, while home pages get 1:15 Which ones show more of your skills? Moritz’s portfolio really gets to the heart of what UX design is all about: going through a process to solve a user problem. That’s why some of the most work samples as for case studies: Collect all your work samples and choose the If you spot any further examples of great portfolios while navigating the web, do let us know so we can add them to the list. Artsy and edgy? showcase your UX writing process. These will prove that you make As a UX designer, your portfolio is your business card. your learnings and show the improved version. The demand for UX writers is on the rise, so we will see more and more UX writing portfolios. We offer online, immersive, and expert-mentored programs in UX design, UI design, web development, and data analytics. I’m Hailey Erin Yeager– a UX designer & content strategist based in Northern California. We design products – and their copy – with Despite the fact that these unsolicited redesigns are pure “passion projects”, Priyanka lends them the credibility they deserve by documenting her process in detail. words of user experiences and interfaces. your team created personas? View Daniel Autry’s full portfolio website here. Now it’s time to contemplate the power of beautiful UI! It helps if you know a little about software design, but you don’t have to know a lot. Amy sets a clear business goal—“Increase ridership amongst first-time users, especially tourists”—followed by a concrete success metric—“Lift in 24-hour passes and 7-day passes”. Olivia kicks off her case study by framing the problem in a personal, relatable way. Linking out to a live page will confuse readers. This brings us to Zara Drei’s portfolio—the epitome of digital elegance. Daniel Autry is a designer, developer, and behavioural researcher based in Charlottesville, Virginia. We are yet to discover a creative process that These could be buzzwords for your prospects, so mention them by name and share your findings. be taken more seriously. What’s also interesting is how Priyanka chooses to showcase these redesigns. your work in your portfolio: We will go through both in-detail, starting Daniel Autry’s portfolio features some remarkable work in the mental health space, but that’s not the only reason he’s made it onto this list. You can set passwords for your portfolios as well as case studies, create a contact page in seconds, use font pairings curated by our designers, and much more! In general, a UX writing portfolio needs to do three things: Clearly outline the customer problem, explain your process and/or approach and show off the final product. Cue the unsolicited redesign à la Priyanka Gupta. Write about your Take the course. Though it is an option in UXfolio as well, password protection on the portfolio level should be used with caution. A shout out will do, but in case of a substantial Fancy or funny solutions are great for a novelty, but they get old In the next section, we put all your context when users interact with the product. Try UXfolio for free! What really stands out in Elizabeth’s portfolio, though, is her use of visuals to support the narrative she’s weaving. UX is very much about strategy and if the person is not showing how they got from A to B, they appear to be another UI trying to move into a UX role. For each step, he explains what he did, why he did it, and what he learned as a result. Also, the copy, or Gloria Lo is a … If you’d rather skip straight to our hand-picked selection of awesome UX design portfolios, you can simply select one from the list below. readers’ understanding. during the project? iterations and versions via screenshots of the interface. We hope this list has given you a feel for some of the most important UX design portfolio best practices, and left you feeling suitably inspired. been challenged? Some other … Have you had any revelations For each step you go through in your case study, include a photo or screenshot of how it looked in action. Make your prospects’ life easier by uploading it in PDF format. Above all else, UX designers are problem-solvers. Use your portfolio to demonstrate how you add value to the business. Quotes make It will be much easier to Follow Amy’s lead and set a business or product goal at the start of the case study. In fact, scrolling through Zara’s portfolio is like wandering through the beauty department of a high-end store, or flipping through the pages of a glossy magazine—and that’s no accident. Priyanka is an experienced UX designer who presumably has plenty of real projects for her portfolio. Once you’ve got a theme in mind, you can start to think about the kinds of colors and imagery that will help to convey this. works for everybody, so this part will be the most personal in your case study. you based on your professional history. It’s run entire… Don’t get too hung up on whether you should include three projects or five; focus instead on selecting a handful of projects that best showcase who you are as a designer. Google Chrome’s Inspect Tool to temporarily rewrite the copy of any desktop and functions. In the space of just four featured case studies, we see that Daniel is a versatile designer who has worked on a variety of projects across a range of sectors—from mental health to financial trading to e-learning. To achieve that, link Emerson Schroeter 5 Tips to Create A Stand-Out UX Writing Portfolio. We have discussed this topic with hiring managers and insiders, such as Yvonne Gando, senior UX writer at Google. Introduce your reader to the product’s users so they If you see yourself as a specialist in a certain industry, highlight the projects that demonstrate this. Amy does a great job of showing how she works in a business setting. Ask your workmates for personas, When it comes to adding a new case study to your portfolio, these artifacts will help you tell a logical story. Each point in her case study is illustrated with some kind of visual element—be it a virtual wall of Post-it notes, a survey form that was sent to research participants, or early-stage prototypes. I love the simplicity of the design of this site, but more importantly look at these … on the same general trinity as UX designer ones: problem/goal – process – about me page like a UX cover letter without the formalities. It’s a bit like reading a novel: you need a little bit of background before you can start relating to the characters and the plot. metric? Before we go any further, let’s be clear on one thing: There’s no “magic number” when it comes to portfolio projects. Vera doesn’t just tell us what the problem is. Build a beautiful portfolio quickly and easily. When Priyanka runs into bad UX, she can’t help but do something about it. Whitney Hess. Make your resume available on your portfolio if you are open to offers. Consider how Zara uses color and imagery to evoke a sense of luxury throughout her portfolio; how can you create a similar effect? Take the Approach to Digitization in Education case study, for example. Every time you work on a new design project, document your process: take screenshots of user research surveys you send out, snap photos of your wall covered in Post-it notes after a heavy brainstorming session, and keep hold of your wireframes as they progress from low to high fidelity. From sketches to personas, these will support your business goals by driving conversion and engagement. After observing that other people also experienced issues with the app, I pursued this redesign as an opportunity to improve the experience in any way I could.”. If, like Amy, you can demonstrate how your work brings value to the business, you’ll set yourself up for some serious bonus points. He takes us on a logical journey, putting the design challenge into context before going through competitor analysis, interviews and surveys, building empathy and creating user personas, defining the information architecture, wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing. What do you want people to learn about you and your work when they land on your portfolio? Spend some time figuring out your personal brand. project within a company. See how she dedicates two whole sections to setting the scene? Instead, go for visual consistency by sticking to a color-scheme and beautiful fonts. That just about concludes our selection of awesome UX design portfolios from around the web. View Priyanka Gupta’s full portfolio website. skills and process through work samples and case studies. A common mistake in UX case studies is listing research methods without elaborating on findings. Are you fun and quirky? Include only the most important ones in a case study but it provides less insight into your process. When it comes to creating an impressive UX portfolio, it’s important to understand exactly what your portfolio should achieve. Priyanka doesn’t just limit herself to her portfolio website; she also shares her case studies and tips via Medium (where she’s accrued over a thousand followers!). call-to-action will do. As it is the case with designers, the work samples, categorizing based on elements will emphasize your lack of experience. Choose a good enough variety to showcase your skillset, while keeping it minimal enough so as not to overwhelm the user. in the case study. If you have a wealth Usually, Set in a different font and color to the main body text, these snippets catch your eye as you scroll, providing further, more personal insights into the project—such as “It was cool seeing how differently teachers would use this dashboard” or “We didn’t move forward with this exploration because we wanted to validate the base solution first.”. But, above all, it should direct your Sign up to The Dash to have these updates sent straight to your inbox!. Build your UX writing case study on the following structure: UX writing is influenced by various factors