4 UX Portfolio Tips
It’s that time of year again, when many designers take time to update their portfolios to keep them from getting stale. I spent most of my free design time in 2010 fine-tuning my own, here are some of my learnings.
1. The people looking at our portfolios know exactly what we do
I’ve heard many a hiring manager ask a designer, “What exactly did you do on this project?” These hiring managers know what a wireframe, flow chart, persona, usability lab and a prototype are. And more importantly, they know that that is exactly what we are going to be doing day in and day out for them. So that’s exactly what they want to see in your portfolio, your wireframes, flow charts, personas, labs, prototypes and any other artifacts you create. They care less about the overall project and more about your specific contribution.
2. Always project positive confidence and strength
Your portfolio is your sales brochure. At this stage of the sales process the last thing you want to do is introduce any seeds of doubt in your buyer’s mind. Never bring up phrases that say things like “weakness” or “what I learned” even in jest. Mentally those words, regardless of context, are still linked to negative emotions, and though they may be subtle or humorous, they still take your visitors down those emotional roads.
3. Get people to what they came for right up front
People coming to your portfolio want to see your work: your wireframes, flow charts, personas, labs and prototypes. If those aren’t the biggest thing on your homepage, front and center, then you’re failing to help your users reach their goals on your site.
4. If your work is company confidential, do a “snap” like dribbble.com or forrst.com
A “snap” is simply an ambiguous corner of one of your drawings. A “snap” fails to give context, so you aren’t giving away any company secrets, but you are still showing your design work. Hiring managers will still see what they came for, because they have the knowledge needed to assess your skill even without full context for your wireframe, flow chart or prototype. You can save the nitty gritty details for the interview.
