Looking for a job as a UX/UI designer? Even a well-composed CV doesn’t tell everything about you. The best way to put your skills and competences on display is to make a professional portfolio.
The portfolio must show what the designer is capable of and demonstrate their personality, their style, and their approach to work.
As they say, “You’re only as good as your portfolio.” An interactive design agency will be mostly driven by your portfolio when deciding whether to hire you or not.
Creating a portfolio when you are still a beginner may seem like a challenge: how many projects to show? Which kinds? Do I have to focus more on UX or UI?
Let’s have a look at the steps necessary to create a beautiful portfolio that will get you your dream job.
Tips to Create a Wonderful UX/UI Portfolio
Here are the elements that you need to include if you want your portfolio to shine. Every best company for UX designers will expect to see them in the applications of candidates.
Short Presentation & Contacts
Before demonstrating your works, it is good to think of the first part of the portfolio dedicated to the presentation of ourselves.
In this part, we talk about who we are, what we do, and what we like to do. In a few lines, we have to give a brief summary of ourselves.
Those who read your portfolio want to see the person behind the projects (also because they will be dealing with them if they work in the company!). Therefore, we do not give too much weight to these lines; on the contrary, we try to be as spontaneous as possible!
In this section, it is also essential for users to find a list of all your contacts easily. Start by giving your email, phone number, Dribble account, Behance, Instagram, etc.
Understand What Kind of Projects You Want to Show
When creating your portfolio, you need to decide what type of job position you want to be associated with. Are you interested in becoming an Interaction Designer? Or preferably a UX/UI Designer? Or maybe you are interested in User Research?
Once your position is clear, you can start choosing the best jobs for this slice of the market.
For example, if you want to be an Interaction Designer, fill your portfolio with animations, videos, and anything else related to this world.
If you want to be in a UI position, show your works in Sketch, XD, Design System, those that you have created alone or in a team.
The important thing is to be clear about who you are and, consequently, you will understand what kind of projects to show.
Choose the Best Projects You Have Done
Now the part we’ve all been waiting for has arrived, the choice of our projects!
It is a fundamental part of the portfolio and must be well studied:
- Starting from selecting a maximum of 3 projects. Try at this point to outline your approach and your contribution to each project.
- Choosing among many projects can be difficult. Once you have skimmed through projects, try to give a relevant and detailed description of them, their stages of realization, perspective, and so on.
You must try to explain to those who are watching what these images represent while being as transparent as possible. Provide:
- The initial description of the project;
- Description of the operation with the help of inherent images;
- Further information.
Each of us has a different way of working, and for this reason, it is essential to make your approach clearly understood! It might happen that you will be communicating with HR and not a professional designer, so your portfolio must speak for itself even then.
