Create your UX / UI portfolio #02 : Goals and Purpose
By: Deborah M.
Tags: Professional Development, UX Design, Design, Technology, UX

What kind of professional do you want to present to the world?

In the competitive corporate world of information technology, many people walk around with sparse projects or send a doc. document attached to the email to apply for a job openings. And some of the questions that may arise at this point are: What is the difference between curriculum and a portfolio? Send both or how to choose between one?

Maia (our character in this journey) had these doubts, so she researched the subject. She ended up realizing that there are usually fields for sending resumes and fields for online portfolio URL when applying for a job via the registration form. She sends both. So she decided when she was going to apply for a job via email, she will also send her attached resume and her portfolio link (or even the PDF version of the portfolio).

But for her to achieve the objective of positively impacting the person responsible for the selection process, Maia needs to be very clear about the purpose of each of these pieces so that they are complementary and not redundant, and help her as much as possible in a job hunting.

The curriculum should represent all the professional achievements of Maia’s life, as well as having a short and attractive variation.

Every company wants to recruit a person who is not only fit for the job but also has other social and cultural activities; therefore, Maia includes other information, such as hobbies and other activities that make her a versatile person. She knows she doesn’t necessarily have to be an excellent hobby, but they must reflect that she has other skills and can be considered an expandable candidate. For example, she says that she really likes to watch films, which shows that she has a certain cultural inclination and that she is concerned about health when she says that one of her hobbies is cycling.

On the other hand, the project portfolio is a collection of samples of work or activities that are presented to a potential employer or recruiter to show their work in action. With a portfolio, people involved in the recruitment process can witness her talent. This adds a tangible aspect to Maia’s work, thus providing the recruiting professional with a clearer picture of the type of work she does, and what is the quality of her work.

For Maia, the portfolio is an invaluable companion to your resume. It is where she can show all of her work in detail and even create a project timeline. So, if you want to win a place, you should probably invest in preparing the portfolio, just like Maia.

Elaboration

During the elaboration of the portfolio, Maia was assisted by colleagues with market experience, who shared important suggestions, such as:

Sharing screenshots of your work is not enough! Her portfolio should include case studies that detail her specific contribution and creative process. For example, in all of Maia’s case studies, she always presents the problem and her collaboration on the project.

Project Overview The goal of the project was to design a tablet app concept where children from the ages from 6 to 14 can stream their favorite TV and movie content. My Contributions I was responsible for this project from start to finish. This included doing research, defining personas, creating flowcharts and wireframes as well as designing a finished user interface.

Carefully consider the purpose of your portfolio. How do you want the world to see you? Maia defined that she will continue as a UX and UI professional so her portfolio should prioritize and highlight these projects and her skills in the field.

How do you want the world to see you? Maia defined that she will continue as a UX and UI professional so her portfolio should prioritize and highlight these projects and her skills in the field. Recruiters spend little time analyzing each candidate’s portfolio. So go for it! Try to be assertive, always presenting yourself as a problem solver and making it clear what was your role in each project. Everything must be clear and objective.

OVERVIEW

In addition to sharing your latest work, here’s what you should keep in mind for an eye-catching digital portfolio.

Build your brand: you want to create a consistent personal brand throughout your professional presence. Everything can start with your new logo, as Maia created in her portfolio. If you are not very skilled with graphic design, you can simply use your name with a legal font (Just beware of copyright. If you want you can use platforms like dafont.com and choose from thousands of free options to use), or still, ask colleagues who work in graphic design to help you with these issues.

Images: configure your images in the best possible resolution, but they are accessible (for example, Maia used a standard image with 1900x1200 px for her portfolio. You can use this size as reference)

Improved performance: you can write code from your website. But you can use ready-made platforms without any problem. Just know how to use these tools well.

Don’t just use images that you think are beautiful: although you should strive to create visually appealing content, good design is the sum of form and function and we want your portfolio to communicate that. Maia worked on her communication using a minimalist style and always focusing on projects, with vibrant and attractive colors.

THE CONTENT

You need to carefully consider what should be included and how the content should be presented.

Defining a line: Maia makes it clear what her portfolio style is and how she presents herself as a professional. You can follow the same style and create a unit for your portfolio.

Selling yourself: Some theorists believe that “about me” can be the most important part of your portfolio. Pay special attention to the “about me” part, which can present some statistics, recommendations, and even a short video reel. Be very clear about whatwas your role in each project and even ass the feedback of some clients. And believe me, it makes a difference.

Storytelling: the ability to communicate through the written word is increasingly valued in design and marketing. To demonstrate your ability to tell stories, use storytelling concepts for the cases you will be presenting.

The cases in your portfolio

Case Studies via Storytelling

Every day, those responsible for recruitment processes receive dozens of professional profiles. Many of these profiles will be lost in so much content. But there are ways to overcome confusion and help your profile stand out: you can reach people in a more personal way, letting your projects explain what kind of professional you are.

For this, Maia started writing customer case studies and adding the projects it has in the narrative format, and we will see how this contributed to the production of a strong and assertive portfolio.

Bringing your projects to life

As a creative professional, Maia usually has a very particular perspective on a project or product. For example, she will be concerned with conceptualizing and developing an application. But the customer will focus on their daily use: their look, functionality, and so on. Since a case study is written from the perspective of problem-solving, it tends to crystallize the benefits better than a typical marketing message. It can become even more powerful if you include personal testimonials and other comments from the people you served. That is, the customer. Don’t forget to include testimonials from clients in all cases (if possible) in your portfolio.

Educating the public

A case study usually follows a problem/solution format. That is, it describes the challenge that was faced — such as creating a new product, improving the interface, or failing communication — and explains how you helped solve the customer’s problem. This allows the reader to feel as if they are watching everything “over your shoulder”, as that person benefits from your product or service. So use simple, yet effective, and engaging language. Maia always starts by presenting the project’s challenge and how she collaborated to solve the problem. All with a pertinent but simple language.

Talking to the target audience.

Most people decide in a short time if they are interested in your profile. Then you must win them over immediately. A case study does not speak to all customers or potential prospects but speaks directly to those who share a similar background because they belong to the same industry or face a similar challenge, such as reducing operating expenses. Such a targeted approach is likely to produce a much better result than a “unique size” marketing speech. See the example of Maia’s case in which there was no budget for user research and how she worked around this problem.

User research on a $0 budget For this project I didn’t have a budget I could spend on research but because of a very specific target audience of this app I knew I can’t skip this step. Thankfully there were studies that others have done. Nielsen Norman Group had two studies, one about kids and one about teens, and the summary with most important findings was available for free on their website.

Delivering a happy ending

Good case studies shouldn’t look like marketing. They must first look like stories, and everyone loves stories, even if they are about companies that need to reduce their logistics costs. Why? Because at the heart of these stories are real people facing real challenges. Even better, a case study always has a happy ending. Note how Maia always faces the problems and improves the customer’s life and product, as in the case of a streaming application for which she researched a lot even with budget limitations and presented significant improvements such as navigation and profile sharing.

Conducting interviews After going through the NNg studies I decided to go a bit deeper and talk to some users. First I interviewed a couple of teachers and parents. What I learned from a teacher who works with kids aged 6–10 is that they know how to use a smartphone and are comfortable with using the search function to find their favorite YouTubers. I also learned that most of them don’t own their smartphone so using a tablet for streaming is a likely scenario. It helped a lot.

Influence

Case studies not only resonate with consumers but also encourage their professional colleagues. After all, most companies work to help people, and their professionals are happy to learn that they have made a difference in their customers’ lives. In defining the appearance of success, case studies also provide their professionals with a goal and standard for measuring their success. Show how you not only produce but also understand what you are doing, whether by relating your case to concepts or an actual idea. You must aim for a certain quality standard in your projects, both conceptual and visual, and try to show this to the world with your portfolio.

Good habits

If you plan to create a nice case study for your portfolio, here are some rules Maia uses, that you can also follow:

In a sentence or two, explains what you did for the client and how you helped with the project.

Describe the customer’s business to situate the problem.

Explain the challenge the customer faced.

Describe you collaboration on the project and the solution you provided and how you came to this solution.

Explain in detail how the customer has benefited from your solution.

Always try to include customer feedback.

Include sketches and prototypes of the project, which is important to show your technical skills.

Maia continues to transmit success: she publishes the case study in her online portfolio, sends it by e-mail to the client’s database, and shares it on social networks. That way, she creates a network of references.

When Maia’s case studies are ready, she checks to see if they reach potential audiences in social segments like Linkedin. And when she is inspired she even writes an article about the experience on her social media.

In the sequence, we will talk the elements of a good narrative.