how much ux is in your ux portfolio?
TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to
www.meetup.com/Ladies-that-UX-Denver
@LadiesThatUXDen
Next meet up: April 20th. A Social Gathering
▸ Former UX Recruiter for UX Magazine’s recruiting team, Didus
▸ Recruited for UX roles for 4+ years
▸ Transitioned to UX Research 1.5 years ago
▸ I train recruiters on technical recruiting and how to assess UX portfolios
▸ Organizer/Founder of the Tech Recruiter Conference
EXPERIENCE (AKA, WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO ME)
UX BASICS FOR UX PORTFOLIOS
▸ Who are your users?
▸ What is the goal of the portfolio (what do your users want to see?)
▸ What’s the easiest way to get that result to them? (design for use)
4 PILLARS OF A WELL-BUILT PORTFOLIO
▸ Breadth & Depth:
▸ Platforms you’ve worked on: mobile / web / desktop
▸ Consumer-facing / enterprise / B2B
▸ Showcase the types of experiences you’ve designed
▸ Provide a cross-section of your experiences
4 PILLARS OF A WELL-BUILT PORTFOLIO
▸ Curating:
▸ Show 3-7(ish) projects
▸ Share 4-9 visuals that showcase the main steps / milestones of the design process for the project
▸ Don’t make the hiring manager wade through a cluster of too many projects. They won’t.
▸ Don’t make your user open links to find your work, include images within the portfolio directly
4 PILLARS OF A WELL-BUILT PORTFOLIO
▸ Narrative
▸ The UX process is that, a process. Tell the story of your process with your portfolio.
▸ What’s your story as a designer? What’s your narrative?
▸ Provide an intro, main body of work, conclusion
4 PILLARS OF A WELL-BUILT PORTFOLIO
▸ Process Work:
▸ UX is not the final product, it’s the research, strategy, testing, design and build process of a product. Your portfolio should illustrate that process.
▸ Share images of white boards, sketches, wireframes, usability testing, personas.
▸ Illustrate the thinking process you take when you tackle a project. Hiring managers like thinkers.
INTRODUCTION
▸ Get their attention, whet their palette: Lead with a beautiful graphic or image
▸ Introduce yourself. Welcome the user and give a synopsis of you!
▸ Share: years of experience, special sauce, strengths, what you love doing
MEAT & POTATOES
▸ Showcase at least 3 projects
▸ You took a process from project brief to final deliverable. Summarize this process in your portfolio
▸ Have 4-9 process work images that walk the user along with your steps
▸ Ideal: Image + narrative box. This shows what your work while explaining your process.
▸ Talk about the challenges, the learning and insights
▸ Close with an image of the final deliverable, if possible
WRAP IT UP!Thank the user for taking the time to review your portfolio.
Reiterate your personal statement, include your contact details.