If you are a visual designer, interaction designer, UX designer or some design researcher, you need an impressive portfolio to stay ahead of your peers and competitors. In today’s competitive world, you have no scope for exhibiting your experience or skills in any informal way. And we all have heard that common phrase that your experience matters far more than degrees, so if you have professionally placed your experience in a portfolio then definitely you are on lead from those who haven’t.
Portfolio is referred to as the window to your skills that meticulously shows up the quality, dexterity, and proficiency of what you have and can offer.
Why Need A Portfolio? And That Too a Good One…
Well, a good portfolio is a lot more than just a set of some bulk screenshots convoluted together. The portfolio of a UX designer must showcase every breadth and width of his/her abilities as a designer. Better if it gives a deep insight into your potential and capabilities.
One simple and the most obvious reason of getting a good portfolio is that it helps employers decide whether they want to work with you or not. Both creating a portfolio and keeping it together is a challenge.
So here is a list of some important and proven aspects that can be used to create an awe-inspiring UX portfolio.
Here Are The Tips That Help In Developing A Good UX Portfolio
-
Know Your Audience/Reader
It is mostly said that set your goals whenever you head on for a journey. So the more you know your audience, the better you can make your portfolio. Streamline the organizations you want to work with and then design your portfolio accordingly. Such an oriented approach helps in making the portfolio more interactive and influencing.
Moreover, this could be your not-to-be-mentioned way of informing others about your field of interest and desired job niche.
-
Showcase Your Skills:
Precision is always preferred by all major organizations. Unlike conventional hiring measures of evaluation, a number of top web designing companies are more focused on knowing their designer by looking at his/her skills. They do make sure that they are hiring someone who can exactly meet their demands. So put your best foot forward by mentioning and showcasing all your skills, merits, and certifications. Do not forget to add your academic qualifications precisely in your portfolio; it will let your employer know you right from the roots.
-
Add Visuals With Some Case Studies
Try adding some visuals to your portfolio along with the pictures to make it more illustrative and meaningful. A picture speaks more than thousands words but a video says what a picture cannot. So instead of elaborating your work in words, add visuals to your designs.
-
Tell Your Story And Put Your Best Foot Forward
With every sample in your portfolio, do not forget to add the process and the exact story behind it. A sound employer would definitely focus on this part to know your thought process and ability to handle projects. It is best to include prototypes, screenshots of the wireframes, storyboards and even scribbles that you used to make graphs and dimensions of the designs. All this makes your portfolio realistic and acceptable.
-
All At One Place
Place all your works and their related links at one place. Do not bother your employer to search all your projects and then analyze them. This doesn’t sound great in any scenario. So if you have done different projects of different fields, join them all in one place on your portfolio.
-
Customize Your Portfolio
Now it’s time to personalize your portfolio using some advanced tools and technologies. You can do it on your own if you are well-versed with web development techniques too, otherwise go for some professional assistance.
-
Precise
Understanding the fact that there are fewer chances that UX employer might go through all your listed visuals and piles of content given in the portfolio. So it is better to present your work portfolio in a precise and updated manner.
-
Show Your Best
Doesn’t matter if you are a fresher or experienced, always put your best foot forward i.e show your best designs, best projects, best visuals, etc. You need not put all those hundreds of projects in your portfolio instead shortlist the best ones and put them forward.
-
Add Testimonials
Try adding testimonials to your portfolio as the evidence of a social proof is an added advantage for UX designers. Like if an organization or a client has congratulated or appreciated your work sometimes, you can smartly include their words of appreciation in the form of testimonials in your portfolio.
-
Be True
Last but not the least, do not include any false information in your portfolio. The truer to facts you are, the more will be your credibility as a reliable UX designer.
Conclusion:
Whether you are looking for a job opportunity or not, always keep your portfolio updated. Updating your portfolio on timely basis prevents any data loss during submission, else in the worst cases, the designers mostly forget major of their achievements while updating their portfolio. Connect your portfolio with your social media account on LinkedIn and other active channels. Who knows your dream job could just land through any of those mediums. So be alert and active!
