Written by Shanae Chapman
August 9, 2022

Working in UX involves much more than just creating user interfaces. UX teams struggle with understanding what’s important, which practices they should know deeply, and what approaches aren’t helpful at all.
Here are a couple of tips to help you showcase your work in the best way possible:
1. Select a digital platform for your portfolio that is easy for you to use: Consider selecting a no-code or low-code template as a starting point. You can also customize the template using the platform’s editing features to make it represent your aesthetic as a designer. For example, you can adjust the placement and dimensions of elements, fonts, icons, backgrounds, and more. My favorite framework for design portfolios is the WordPress Divi theme. Also consider Squarespace and Webflow, both of which have some portfolio templates available.
2. Tell your story: What drew you to design? Be creative in sharing your passion, personality, and career trajectory with personal photos, awards, favorite quotes, and efforts at community involvement that show who you are as a designer. Include any metrics you have regarding your design career, such as the number of user interviews you’ve conducted or the number of clients you’ve supported. Take the time to answer that familiar interview question “Tell me about yourself,” but do it in a fun and creative way. You might also consider adding a short (one-minute) video reel to introduce yourself to portfolio viewers.
For more tips, you can grab a copy of my published chapter of the book 97 Things Every UX Practitioner Should Know, titled Create a Design Portfolio That Gets Results, where I share how I created a portfolio that landed me UX roles at big companies such as Boeing, MATLAB, and Akamai along with startups like Swagger/SwaggerHub.
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