We talked about UX designers bridging the gap between business, users and technology. The idea of a product that is viable, feasible and desirable actually came from the Design Thinking methodology popularized by David Kelly and Tim Brown from IDEO. I encourage you to look it up.
It’s been rather abstract so far, and hope it makes sense. When looking for a job, you obviously cannot just say ” I understand what UX designers do, hire me”. You have to show something for it. And that’s where a portfolio comes in.
In essence, a portfolio is just a collection of case studies. Each case study covers a design project, and it should showcase your thinking as a designer as it applies to solving a particular problem. Ideally, it shows that you can (1) define a problem, and (2) solve it creatively taking into account three factors that we talked about: user needs, business goals, and technical constraints, (3) validate or test solutions. In other words, it showcases your design process. We will look at the design process in detail later. For now, I just want to give you some understanding of what is expected from the portfolio.
There is no steadfast rule for how many case studies should be there. I’d say 3-5 case studies is good. It really depends on the quality of each, and not quantity.
You might not have any projects that you can showcase just yet, and that is fine. Actually, your own portfolio is a design project in itself, and probably the most important one even though it doesn’t count toward 3-5 case studies.
Think about your portfolio as a product. We can apply the same three factors we talked about here. Firstly, a portfolio needs to meet users’ needs (recruiters hiring UX designer). What are they looking for? This is when browsing job postings is super helpful! Secondly, it meets your goals (get noticed and land a job). You probably have an idea for what kind of work you’d like to be doing, perhaps also what industry/domain you’d prefer to work in. Thirdly, there are technical constraints that need to be considered. That can be: your ability to produce wireframes, hi-fidelity mockup, or build a prototype, as well as time constraints. It is important to consider these as you are looking for ideas for your projects.
“So what projects should I be working on?” – you might be thinking. I will give you some pointers, and I’d like you to brainstorm some ideas on your own.
Improve an existing product
Just to get this one out of the way, redesigns of popular apps or websites won’t do, so don’t even think about it. Merely changing the look and feel of a popular website or app might showcase your visual design chops, but it really doesn’t address the core skills required to be a UX designer.
Instead, find an app that you might have used that does something that you need, but it really doesn’t do it well. That’s a great candidate for redesign. It might not even be a whole app, but just one or two features. It also doesn’t have to be a problem that you face yourself. Perhaps, you observed a friend or a family member struggling with it.
One other way to find a problem to solve in existing products is to look at reviews of popular apps. You can find plenty on the App Store, or online forums.
Design a brand new product
Have you ever thought, “I wish there was an app for that!”? There is a golden opportunity for you. If nothing comes to mind immediately, think about your daily life. It doesn’t have to be related to your professional life. Think about your family life, your hobbies, your pets. Are there unsolved problems that you can spot? Is there an app for those?
Speaking of apps, I don’t mean mobile apps. It can be a web, a desktop, or even a smart watch app. Ideally, your portfolio has a variety that covers different types of devices. Actually, one case study can cover several types of devices, but don’t worry about this just yet. Start simple, and start wherever you have the most interest. There is one exception to this rule, and that you know exactly what devices you’d like to be designing for. Some designers focus only on mobile. If that is something you’d like to be doing long-term it is worth focusing your efforts on building your case studies around mobile apps.
Because you are not actually creating a business around your idea, you don’t really need to worry about what is already out there. Your case studies will not be judged by how original and innovative your projects are.
For your homework, I’d like you to come up with a list of at least 10 different ideas for your portfolio projects. Coming up with 5 will probably be relatively easy, but don’t stop there and get at least 10 no matter what. Remember, they don’t have to be groundbreaking ideas. Think about simple problems that can be solved with a simple product. Also remember that you will pick only 3-5, and you will start with just 1.
I am not going to ask you to share your ideas with me. Although, you can if you’d like to get some feedback.
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