UX Portfolio advice

From Ian Fenn

UX Portfolios: An interview with Ian Fenn (The User Experience podcast)
A fun conversation about portfolios with Gerry Gaffney during a visit to UX Hong Kong in 2017.

Design a winning UX portfolio (Creative Bloq)
For UX designers a CV isn’t enough: only a top-notch portfolio will get you on the path to your dream job. I explain how to make a great first impression.

Sharing our Stories: Designing and Reviewing UX Portfolios (AYCL)
A virtual seminar recorded for the folks at UIE, and available as part of their ‘All you can learn’ library.

From others

Some of the smartest writing about UX Portfolios and related topics.

Your Portfolio Probably Sucks
Five minutes review time? That’s a lot. Try 60 seconds. 🙂

Why your Portfolio is Being Ignored—and How to Fix It
Cast your net wide… and fail.

The Works of Justin Edmund [Portfolio example]
Admire the simplicity of this online portfolio by Justin Edmund.

Avoid these 5 things when building your design portfolio — Part 1
Definitely avoid the generic bullshit intro. Can’t wait for Part 2.

Non-disclosure aggrievement
Another great article from Ross Floate.

Q: Is it ever ok to include rejected pieces in my portfolio?
A: I don’t care. (by Ross Floate)

Creating The Perfect Portfolio
The earliest reference to a case study based portfolio that I’ve been able to find. From Digital Web magazine in 2008 and now available only via archive.org.

Never Trust a Skinny Chef
Creating a UX portfolio is easier if you do the groundwork while working. The Stockwell Spreadsheet detailed here is an easy way to get organised.

Thoughts on Design Portfolios
Jon Kolko captures the organised chaos of a digital agency perfectly in this post.

How to wow me with your UX research portfolio
David Travis with sensible advice for researchers looking to create a UX portfolio. (Yes, UX researchers need one too.)

Portfolios Matter: Building the Portfolio to Win the Job
Lynn Teo gave the first sensible talk on UX portfolio design – and this is the presentation deck that went along with it.

IXDA UX Portfolio: Do’s and Dont’s
Mike Johnson of the Nerdery knows what makes a great portfolio.

Great UX Portfolios
Mary Wharmby almost ensures that I have no book to write with this advice-packed presentation deck.

The UX Portfolio: Your Golden Ticket to Job Interviews
A short but fine collection of portfolio design advice from Nick Morgan of Salesforce.

Please stop! The 2 biggest mistakes when applying for a UX role
Something tells me Redgate has received a lot of poorly-designed portfolios. 🙂

Minimum Viable UX Portfolio
Good advice from the anonymous individual behind the UX Beginner blog.

How to Tell Your UX Story
Troy Parke on the three act structure and other means of telling a story.

How to Create an Award-Winning UX Designer Portfolio for Hire
I’m not sure UX portfolios can win awards, but good advice in this article.

How to build a UX portfolio
Zach reveals the thinking behind creating his much-lauded UX portfolio.

Help! My Portfolio Sucks
Fine advice from Jeffrey Zeldman.

Gunning Fog Index
Is your portfolio copy as readable as it could be? Test it with this established scoring method.

Ten tips to ace a user experience (UX) portfolio
High-level but smart advice from a leading UX recruitment agency in the UK. Ignore the advice on handling NDAs.

The Biggest Mistakes I See on Resumes, and How to Correct Them
These mistakes often appear on UX portfolios too, sadly.

Butterick’s practical typography
Great advice on typography.

Beyond Design, 10 Skills Designers need to Succeed Now
How many does your portfolio illustrate?

Better science writing for the web
These writing guidelines are relevant for UX portfolios too.

APH Guidelines for Print Document Design
As a designer, I try to ensure my work is accessible. My portfolio is no different. Helpful accessibility guidelines from the American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.

A Great Portfolio Isn’t a Collection of Deliverables
Jared Spool nailed this back in 2012.

5 Hidden Sources of Portfolio Projects
Have limited work experience? Consider the sensible options suggested here.

10 Useful Google Font Combinations for Your Next Site
If you’re not a visual designer, then keep your portfolio simple: adopt a grid structure and just a pair of typefaces such as the combinations mentioned here.

10 Tips for a Better UX Portfolio
A brief but excellent selection of tips from Craig Moser in Austin.

10 Steps To A Perfect UX Portfolio
Great advice from Luke Chambers, apart from the suggestion to And if you’re still stuck, then consider anonymising work that is subject to a non-disclosure agreement. Doing so is very risky.

Building your design portfolio? Here are 8 things I wish I’d known.
Smart advice from Emelyn Baker.

The problem of (some) UX portfolios
Translated from Portuguese via Google Translate.

How to Hire a UX Designer | Creative Staffing Agency
Some good thoughts here from Disney’s Director of Design and Innovation.

How To Write A Thank You Note After A Job Interview – Forbes
We don’t seem to do this in the UK. A bit of a USA thing?

OMG…The Disaster of Social Media and Your Job Search | Tony Beshara | LinkedIn
Sound advice from this respected U.S.A. recruiter.

Why I ditched my custom UX portfolio
Ditching WordPress for Squarespace.

Borahm Cho (Portfolio example)
Using Medium to create a UX portfolio easily and simply. Smart.