Today we evaluate a UX portfolio from a designer who transitioned from being an Educator to Product design. Before Hana Nakano found her passion for product design, she spent the majority of her 20s as a classroom teacher but I realized that life’s too short to stay in her comfort zone. This is not a great case study but there is plenty to learn from it.
As usual I will highlight what UX recruiters and UX hiring managers look for when evaluating such a portfolio using emojis to indicate my emotions.
Let’s begin.
Product Designer Portfolio example — Landing page
Takeaways:
Use project thumbnails that help the recruiter understand what platform the design was for.
Ensure contact details and resume are easily accessible.
Be explicit in explaining how research is conducted, who was involved and what the findings are.
Try to explain how the design improves metrics
Show your portfolio to two people to double check the case study.
Don’t be afraid to put your work in front of people and get honest feedback—even if it’s painful. It can sting at first, but ultimately it’s humbling and enlightening, and it’ll transform your work from decorative to purposeful.
One more thing: if you don’t have any great student or professional projects in your portfolio, don’t worry. Look at the apps and sites you use frequently, identify the ones you think can be improved, and do your own redesign project. Document everything you do, and share it with others. Michael McWatters, Vice President, Product Design for Max
Publish your work. Tell the story of your work. Whether it be throwing it up on Dribbble, publishing a blog post, writing a Smashing Magazine article, or giving a talk about it, telling the story of your work makes you realize what’s important about it and lets others know how you think as a designer. For designers, the work is not about you but the people you’re designing for and the problem you’re designing around- you’re just bringing this information and creativity together. Joshua Porter, Director of UX at Hubspot
This is something that I really struggled with in design school, but it’s important to have a lot of patience as a designer – especially as a junior designer. There are going to be a lot of people who tell you that they don’t like what you’ve done – that it’s bad, or that you should redo it. That can be really frustrating and demoralising. It’s important to remember that feedback is a chance to grow stronger as a designer: everyone has off-days. Really good designers don’t give up: they keep practicing and keep building up that design muscle. If you’re not willing to get a little frustrated, you’re not challenging yourself enough. Laura Lozano
Understand the problem you are solving intimately
First step: make sure you understand the problem facing the user you’re building for. If you don’t really understand the user or the problem, you’re probably going to go down the wrong path and build something that just doesn’t make sense for them. So, we tend to spend a lot of time just really figuring out what are the pain points the user has with our current service, how can we make it better, and feel like if you skip those steps you’re just going to be in a bad spot. Kim Ruelo, product designer at Trunk Club
The key to conscious design is to know your product, know the consumer, and know your goal. If you know what people want out of your product, it makes everything after it so much easier. It blazes the path for accomplishing the other steps of the project. David Anderson, UX Designer at Houzz
Experiment and try new things
Never think of your work as precious. And be willing to experiment and try new things. This industry will always need people who are brave enough to question what’s expected. Jason Dziak, design director at Happy Cog
A diversity of experiences strengthens design thinking. The best way to get inspired is to do an activity you’ve never done before. The best way to get inspired is to do an activity you’ve never done before. Gerren Lamson, Creative Market
Always have a side project or two. The beautiful thing about being a designer is that you get to do your hobby for a living. So the work you do in your free time benefits your skills and your career. At best, your side projects can become portfolio pieces, and at worst, you can say you learned something. Collaborators and employers want to see that you’re excited by what you do and that you’re constantly practicing and producing with design thinking. Justin Barr Young, Media Temple
Great designers are always trying new things; finding new ways to push themselves. Design is about practice. I think the earlier you can start practicing design, the better you’ll be at it. Matthew Spiel, Treehouse
Ask for help
Ask for help. Don’t hide in a hole. Don’t put your headphones on and block out everybody else. It can be gratifying to think that you’re some lone genius in your own little tower, but you’re probably not, and even if you are, it’s no fun up there alone. Engage in the conversation, and engage in the community. Jonathan Berger, Pivotal Labs
If you find somebody already within the industry who is willing to help you, you will learn incredibly fast. I’m trying to create an intern program at the office at the moment, which is really exciting me. For young designers, having somebody around who can guide you – and more importantly inspire you – is so valuable. Dan Leon Krause, Razorfish
Keep Learning
Keep learning. Don’t get set in your ways too quickly. Keep an eye out for what makes a good designer and what you admire about the people you work with, and learn from them. All designers start with an unquenchable thirst to get better: Great designers keep that feeling alive. Adam Shutsa, 500px
I would say that you should make sure you’re learning at any given moment, because UX and design are changing so rapidly. In this field, if you’re not learning, you’re moving backward, and you’re hurting your career. Juan Rafael Lopez, TheLadders
Today we evaluate a UX portfolio from a designer who transitioned from Graphic Design to UX design. Aniela Carolina, a product/UX and visual designer building experiences Oracle. She has experience working on projects of various shapes and sizes, from creating a bakery brand to more long-term projects like content management projects, building websites with data visualizations to working on Sales product projects.
As usual I will highlight what UX recruiters and UX hiring managers look for when evaluating such a portfolio using emojis to indicate my emotions.
Let’s begin.
UX Portfolio example – Landing page
UX Portfolio example – Case study
Takeaways:
Useful portfolio intros for recruiters outline who you are, what you do and where you live
Avoid using flat angled mockups to show your designs images.
Zoom into project images to highlight a feature and platform
If you were part of a team working on a design project, mention them and highlight what you actually did on the project.
Check your case study for grammatical errors and spelling mistakes
Include results or learnings from the projects at the end of your case study. It shows you are reflective and understand the impact the project has on users and the business.
Today we evaluate an interaction designer’s portfolio and UX work. Madison Green is a passionate product designer with a rich background in creating seamless mobile and web experiences for consumer-facing applications. She has 3+ years of experience, including working with Fortune 500 companies and dynamic startups. As usual I will highlight what UX recruiters and UX hiring managers look for when evaluating such a portfolio using emojis to indicate my emotions.
Let’s begin.
Takeaways:
Project headings need to be clear and understandable. Potentially incorporate the result into the heading for it to stand out.
What you name your project heading on the landing page should carry across into the detail view otherwise the recruiter will think they are in the wrong place.
Provide clear imagery for project thumbnails if it’s a screen shot. It’s better to have a zoomed in image that shows features rather than a group of screens that are too small to show features.
Annotate wireframes and visual designs so that a recruiter knows what they are looking at.
Avoid text heavy paragraphs which can be daunting to read for a recruiter. Instead highlight key points by bolding text or through use bullet points.
The objective of today’s practice project is to redesign the Airbnb website to streamline and accelerate the onboarding process for new hosts. The focus will be on simplifying the user journey, providing clear guidance, and reducing the time required to become an active host.
Airbnb redesign practice project
This is the 11th design portfolio project for UI and UX designers looking to build a portfolio of credible work. A detailed client brief that is time-boxed, detailed, and crafted realistically enough to give you a hands-on experience of doing a real project. Each portfolio project is meant to help you create realistic work you can add to your portfolio and test if design really is for you.
As is usually the case, I have included the following with each design brief:
Timeline(For this to be realistic each brief has a timeline that is as close to real-world work as possible)
Objectives(What is REQUIRED by the client. This part usually trips designers up as they go off designing what is not required)
Platform(Where your designs will live. Understanding these platforms will give a well-considered solution)
Target audience (Users always come first and the design must accommodate the target audience’s pain points)
References(If you are not sure where to start, clients normally give a set of examples or references they like. The closer the design solution is to the references, the fewer revisions a designer will have to do)
Deliverables(Most importantly how the solution should be delivered. These represent what a well-detailed portfolio case study looks like so hit it out of the park)
Recruiter advice(Portfolio advice from creative directors, CEOs and leading design creatives from the biggest companies)
Let’s begin.
Practice Project 11: Redesigning Airbnb Host Onboarding
Client: Airbnb
Timeline 1–2 weeks. The project is expected to be completed within two weeks.
Objectives
The objective is to redesign the Airbnb website to streamline and accelerate the onboarding process for new hosts. The focus will be on simplifying the user journey, providing clear guidance, and reducing the time required to become an active host.
Requirements:
Simplified and intuitive host registration process
Step-by-step guide for new hosts
Enhanced user interface with clear calls to action
Comprehensive resource center for new hosts (e.g., tutorials, FAQs)
Integration of automated tools for profile verification and listing setup
Improved customer support options (e.g., live chat, help center)
Success Metrics to Consider:
Onboarding Time: Reduction in the average time taken to complete the onboarding process
Conversion Rate: Increase in the number of users who successfully become hosts
User Satisfaction: Improved ratings and feedback from new hosts
Host Retention: Higher retention rate of new hosts within the first six months
Target Audience
1. Emily Smith,28 | The First-Time Host
Emily is a young professional eager to become a first-time Airbnb host. She needs a straightforward, step-by-step onboarding process with clear instructions and visual guides to help her set up her first listing confidently. However, she feels overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information and steps required, fearing she might make mistakes due to her lack of experience in managing property rentals and dealing with guests.
2. John Davis, 45 | The Part-Time Host
John is a busy professional looking to host part-time on Airbnb. He needs an efficient onboarding process that requires minimal time investment, along with tools that simplify the management of his listing. Despite his enthusiasm, John struggles with balancing hosting responsibilities with his demanding work schedule. He often finds the process frustrating, especially when technical difficulties arise or instructions are unclear, and he requires quick and responsive customer support to resolve any issues promptly.
3. Sarah Thompson, 52 | The Vacation Property Owner
Sarah is an experienced property investor with multiple vacation properties. She needs a reliable and comprehensive platform that supports the efficient management of multiple listings, along with access to market insights and analytics to optimize her listings and pricing. However, Sarah finds it complex to manage multiple properties, ensure they meet Airbnb’s standards, and handle guest inquiries seamlessly. The challenges of efficiently managing bookings and maintaining high standards across all properties add to her stress.
Specifications/ Limitations
Web
Reference
References that our company would like the new website to follow in terms of structure and layout. It will be your job to replicate something close to these examples but add your creative flair to it.
1. Home Page for Hosts: Enticing call-to-action, benefits overview, host testimonials, and sign-up button. Attract and encourage potential hosts to begin the onboarding process.
2. Registration Page: Simplified sign-up form with social media login options and a progress indicator. Make the registration quick and easy for new users.
3. Onboarding Dashboard: Step-by-step guide, checklist of tasks, progress tracker, and instructional videos. Provide a clear, guided onboarding experience.
4. Property Listing Setup: Interactive form for property details, real-time tips, and an image uploader. Streamline the property setup process.
5. Profile Verification: Identity verification tools, status updates, and document upload section. Simplify and clarify the verification process.
6. Host Dashboard: Listings overview, performance metrics, booking management, and guest communication tools. Offer a user-friendly interface for managing properties and tracking performance.
Testing and Results section
Show your wireframes to 5 people and ask them using your designs what they think about them, what they would improve, and an overall rating.
Take their feedback, iterate the designs, and have a final round of testing with 5 users. See that you improve your overall rating. If not go back to the drawing board and change your designs and retest.
What to do next
Download portfolio project PDFs of all the other existing design projects to do in your own time.
This series aims at quickly summarizing UX books you know of and some you may not have read. We will outline 5 main takeaways from each book, how long it takes to read the book and share balanced reviews on the book. Today’s UX book is one of my favourite foundational book Yvonne Rogers’ Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction. If you find the insights valuable then you can consider buying the book and diving deeper into its material.
Interaction Design: Beyond Human Computer Interaction is a delightful introduction to and overview of interaction design (IxD) and human computer interaction (HCI). Using real world examples, the authors illustrate how to design effective, useful, usable, and delightful interactive technology experiences. Whether you are a newcomer to IxD and HCI, or an experienced researcher/practitioner looking for a refresher, this volume is your go-to reference text.
Book Reading Time: 20 Hours Amazon Rating: 4.6 / 5
About the authors
Yvonne Rogers is the Director of the Interaction Centre at University College London as well as a Professor of Interaction Design. Helen Sharp is Professor of Software Engineering at the Open University, UK. Jennifer Preece is Professor and Dean Emerita in the College of Information, Maryland’s iSchool – at the University of Maryland.
A core principle of interaction design is to thoroughly understand the needs, behaviors, and contexts of the users for whom you are designing.
Implementation:
User Research: Conduct various user research methods, such as interviews, surveys, and ethnographic studies, to gather detailed insights about users.
Personas and Scenarios: Create personas and scenarios that represent different user types and their interactions with the system. This helps in visualizing and understanding user needs and contexts.
Contextual Inquiry: Observe users in their natural environments to see how they interact with current systems and identify pain points and opportunities for improvement.
2. Iterative Design Process
Iterative design involves continually refining and improving the design based on user feedback and testing.
Implementation:
Prototyping: Develop low-fidelity prototypes (e.g., sketches, wireframes) and high-fidelity prototypes (e.g., interactive digital models) to test design ideas early and often.
User Testing: Conduct usability testing sessions with actual users to gather feedback on the prototypes. Identify usability issues and areas for improvement.
Refinement: Use the insights from user testing to refine and iterate on the design. Repeat the process to ensure the final product meets user needs effectively.
3. Design Principles and Guidelines
The book emphasizes the importance of adhering to established design principles and guidelines to create effective and user-friendly interfaces.
Implementation:
Visibility: Ensure that important functions and information are easily visible and accessible to users.
Feedback: Provide immediate and clear feedback to users’ actions to help them understand the system’s responses.
Consistency: Maintain consistency in design elements, terminology, and behaviors across the interface to avoid confusion.
Error Prevention and Recovery: Design to prevent errors wherever possible, and provide easy ways for users to recover from mistakes when they occur.
4. Accessibility and Inclusive Design
Creating accessible and inclusive designs ensures that all users, including those with disabilities, can effectively use the product.
Implementation:
Accessibility Standards: Follow accessibility standards and guidelines, such as WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), to make your designs inclusive.
User Diversity: Consider the diverse needs and abilities of users when designing interfaces. Conduct accessibility testing with users who have different disabilities.
Assistive Technologies: Ensure that your designs are compatible with assistive technologies like screen readers, voice recognition software, and alternative input devices.
5. Aesthetic and Emotional Design
Beyond functionality, the book highlights the importance of aesthetic and emotional aspects of design in creating positive user experiences.
Implementation:
Visual Design: Pay attention to visual design elements such as color, typography, layout, and imagery to create aesthetically pleasing interfaces.
Emotional Engagement: Design interactions that evoke positive emotions and engagement. Consider how the interface makes users feel and strive to create delightful experiences.
Brand Integration: Ensure that the design reflects the brand’s identity and values, providing a cohesive experience across all touchpoints.
“I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It has lots of great examples in Internation Design, read the whole thing and even learnt things about Microsoft, where I work, which I didn’t know about. I’m studying my masters at Oxford and would recommend this book to anyone who wants to take a course in HCI/HCD or Interaction Design.” – Salman
“Having spent most of my working career faced with and placed in complex information technology situations I see this book as a resource to be referenced or part of an academic learning programme. This is no doubt on the list of required reading for related University Studies. This book in its 5th edition is well-indexed and chaptered but is still a pain to navigate but why? It’s packed with illustrations and is a hefty weighty paperback book with its 636 pages. I’m retired now but maybe I’ll feel inspired again to do some coding, write some apps and reference this book which is now part of my library.” – Stefan
“I work on a web app without a dedicated UX resource, so I often find myself making UX and interaction design decisions. This book is a newer edition of the one that I read as part of an interaction design module at the Open University in 2016 and the update is welcome, even if the principles are largely the same. The content on affordances, visibility, feedback and so on are a good summary of concepts that you will encounter frequently in user facing software design field, whether you’re a ux designer, developer, or product owner trying to make a usable interface. It is textbooklike and somewhat dry, but I can’t think of another volume that has as much information and research as this one, presented in such a convenient format. It’s unlikely that all the information will be relevant to you (there’s absolutely no chance we’ll ever have a usability lab at my work, for instance) but chances are, there will be something that will help you create a better product.” – Themistocles
“This is a very comprehensive textbook. The subjects the book covers are the process of interaction design, conceptualizing interaction, cognitive aspects, social interaction, emotional interaction, interfaces, data gathering, data analysis, data at scale, discovering requirements, design, prototyping and construction, interaction design in practice, introducing evaluation, and evaluation studies. The book is huge but the writing style makes it user-friendly. The book is also very well laid out with the text broken up into different sections so it is not too intimidating. Each chapter finishes with a summary, an activity you can carry out and suggestions for further reading. There is an enormous list of references at the end of the book so this is an ideal introductory text as it covers the subject well and gives you suggestions of where to look for more in-depth information.” – Amazon reviewer
Being the only UX designer in a design team can be a daunting prospect and induce Imposter Syndrome. There is a constant questioning of whether you are doing the right things, testing the right metrics, involving the right people and or even using the right tools. I found myself in such a position at my first two digital agencies and had to figure out not just how to survive but how to improve the UX maturity of the company.
“The User Experience Team of One” by Leah Buley is a practical guide for UX designers who often find themselves working solo like I did. It provides strategies and tools to effectively handle all aspects of UX design independently. I want to touch on five practical takeaways from the book that you can use today if you a solo UX act:
1. Adopt a Lean UX Approach:
Buley emphasizes the importance of a lean approach to UX, focusing on delivering value quickly and iteratively rather than getting bogged down in extensive documentation and prolonged processes. This was the first thing I had to do when I realized most of our design projects had a turnaround time of two to four weeks.
Implementation:
Start with small, manageable projects and iterate based on feedback from clients or customers the client can provide.
Use rapid prototyping and quick user testing methods to validate ideas early and often.
Prioritize tasks that have the highest impact with the least effort, ensuring you focus on what matters most.
2. Utilize Lightweight Methods and Tools:
The book provides a variety of lightweight UX methods that can be quickly implemented without extensive resources. As a Senior UX Designer, I was able to deliver low fidelity wireframes to speed up the process. Testing was conducted infrequently and using free tools because it was costly and participants had to be recruited through external agencies.
Implementation:
Create low-fidelity wireframes and prototypes using tools like pen and paper, Balsamiq, or digital tools like Figma, Axure RP and Sketch which take less time to create UX deliverables.
Conduct guerrilla usability testing by quickly getting feedback from users in informal settings.
Use personas and journey maps to maintain a user-centered focus without spending excessive time on documentation.
3. Develop Strong Communication Skills:
Effective communication is crucial for a UX team of one, as you need to advocate for UX principles and practices within your organization. I fortunately had a great working relationship with the CEO, MDs and Creative Directors of both agencies I worked at so it was not hard to get buy-in from them. I had proactively helped them create a new UX service offering that could be used to bill client projects and bring in new revenue for the company.
Implementation:
Learn to articulate the value of UX to stakeholders clearly and concisely.
Use storytelling techniques to convey user experiences and design concepts compellingly.
Present your findings and designs through visually appealing and easy-to-understand presentations.
4. Build Cross-Functional Relationships:
Working solo requires you to collaborate closely with other team members and stakeholders to gather insights and support.
Working with UI design, animators, project managers and videographers on a campaign site
Implementation:
Establish regular communication channels with developers, product managers, marketers, and other key stakeholders.
Involve team members from different functions in the UX process, such as inviting them to user testing sessions or design workshops.
Seek feedback and input from your colleagues to create a more collaborative and inclusive design process.
5. Leverage Existing Resources and Templates:
Description: Buley encourages the use of existing resources, templates, and frameworks to streamline the UX process and avoid reinventing the wheel. The internet was definitely my friend and provider of numerous templates that I used on design projects. Templates for testing, surveys, sketching and project reporting are some examples that I used regularly.
Implementation:
Utilize UX templates and frameworks available online to speed up your workflow.
Customize existing templates to suit your specific project needs, ensuring they align with your design objectives and constraints.
Refer to case studies and best practices from the UX community to inform your design decisions and validate your approaches.
Last thoughts for UX team of one designers:
Lean UX: When starting a new project, create a minimum viable product (MVP) and test it with a small group of users. Use their feedback to make quick iterations.
Lightweight Methods: Conduct a guerrilla usability test by setting up a table in a public space and inviting passersby to try out your prototype. Note their reactions and make immediate adjustments.
Communication: Create a presentation that uses visuals and stories to explain the user journey, highlighting key pain points and how your design addresses them.
Cross-Functional Relationships: Schedule regular check-ins with your development team to ensure that your designs are feasible and align with technical constraints. Invite them to design reviews to gather their input.
Existing Resources: Use a persona template from an online resource to quickly create personas for your project. Customize them based on your user research to ensure they are relevant to your specific context.
This series aims at quickly summarizing UX books you know of and some you may not have read. We will outline 5 main takeaways from each book, how long it takes to read the book and share balanced reviews on the book. Today’s UX book is Tom Greever’s Articulating Design Decisions,Communicate with Stakeholders, Keep Your Sanity, and Deliver the Best User Experience. If you find the insights valuable then you can consider buying the book and diving deeper into its material.
Articulating Design Decisions – Quick Summary
The purpose of this book is to help designers become better communicators—to expertly explain their design decisions to the people who have influence over their project. Articulating design decisions is about creating an environment in which stakeholders can clearly see the expertise and thought process of the designers so that they want to support them. It’s about creating trust, demonstrating effectiveness, and doing so in a way that’s compelling and convincing.This practical guide focuses on principles, tactics, and actionable methods for presenting your designs.
Book Reading Time: 6.6 Hours Amazon Rating: 4.7 / 5
About the author
Tom Greever has been designing interfaces and leading design teams for 20 years. His experience as a UX designer, executive design leader, and consultant has given him a broad perspective on how better communication yields great design. He has coached and mentored teams on design practices and communication at both large enterprises and small start-ups all over the world.
Greever emphasizes the importance of framing design decisions within the context of business goals, user needs, and technical constraints.
Implementation:
Understand the Business Goals: Always align your design decisions with the overarching business objectives. Show how your design supports these goals.
Empathize with Users: Clearly explain how your design choices meet user needs and improve their experience. Use user research and personas to back up your points.
Acknowledge Constraints: Be upfront about technical limitations and other constraints that influence your design. This shows a realistic understanding of the project environment.
2. Use the Language of Your Audience
Effective communication involves using language that resonates with your audience, whether they are executives, developers, or other stakeholders.
Implementation:
Tailor Your Message: Adapt your language and level of detail based on who you are speaking to. For executives, focus on high-level business impacts; for developers, delve into technical specifics.
Avoid Jargon: Use clear and simple language to ensure everyone understands your points. Avoid design jargon that might confuse non-designers.
Visual Aids: Use visuals like sketches, wireframes, and prototypes to illustrate your points. Visuals can help bridge communication gaps and make abstract concepts more concrete.
3. Tell a Compelling Story
The book advocates for storytelling as a powerful tool to convey design decisions. Stories make your design rationale more relatable and memorable.
Implementation:
Create User Scenarios: Develop narratives that show how users interact with your design. Highlight the problems users face and how your design solves them.
Highlight Key Moments: Focus on critical interactions and decision points in the user journey. Use these moments to illustrate the value of your design.
Engage Emotionally: Use emotional appeal to connect with your audience. Explain how your design improves the user experience in a way that stakeholders can empathize with.
4. Anticipate Objections and Prepare Responses
Greever suggests anticipating potential objections and preparing well-thought-out responses to address stakeholder concerns.
Implementation:
Identify Common Objections: Think about the typical concerns stakeholders might have, such as cost, feasibility, or user impact.
Prepare Evidence: Gather data, user feedback, and examples to support your design decisions. Use this evidence to counter objections effectively.
Practice Your Responses: Rehearse your responses to common objections. Being prepared helps you remain calm and confident during discussions.
5. Build Consensus Through Collaboration
Building consensus among stakeholders is crucial for successful design implementation. Greever emphasizes the need for collaboration and ongoing communication.
Implementation:
Engage Stakeholders Early: Involve stakeholders in the design process from the beginning. Regular updates and feedback sessions can help align everyone’s expectations.
Facilitate Workshops: Use workshops and collaborative sessions to gather input, discuss ideas, and reach a consensus. Interactive sessions can help stakeholders feel more invested in the design.
Follow Up: After presenting your design decisions, follow up with stakeholders to address any lingering concerns and keep the communication channels open.
“There’s definitely a lot of useful information here that I’ll be sure to implement in future. If you are new to the design industry especially, this is an indispensable read/listen. My main criticism is that, if you already have some experience, and you are generally good at your job, much of this stuff is already second-nature to you. There’s also a lot of extra padding and waffle — for example, a section on how to get the best technical setup for a video call. All that said, there’s nothing wrong with brushing up on a few reminders, and there are certainly plenty of good hints and nuggets to be found, so I would still recommend it.” – Amazon Review
“I was always told that my skill for communicating with stakeholders was a valuable soft skill that I should teach to others. Typically a soft skill is something that is developed over time and dependent on personality. Some say “a skill you can’t teach”. However, I was asked to teach those skills to those that I supervise. I struggled to put the thoughts together in the best way to teach something that came as second nature to myself. This book helps to organize the concepts behind all of the skills that make up the larger soft skill that is in such demand. It provides tools and structure for those trying to learn this skill to be able to measure their success throughout the development. Making it a valuable book for the new designer. I learned a lot of these concepts working with executives in my career, where most newer designers wouldn’t have had that opportunity. So get the book! Mark it up, keep it as a reference, use the tools and you will soon find your habits second nature. You will have more success with your stakeholders as a result.” – M Black
“As a product designer, I constantly have to present work, receive feedback and discuss several topics with different stakeholders. It can be a very tough and draining job sometimes. I was looking for new practices/frameworks to make my life easier. I am very grateful that I found this book, it is very easy to read and has tons of useful advice and best practices. I could not recommend it highly enough.” – Daniela Santos
“As someone who has walked the path of design leadership, this book became a beacon of guidance during my early career days. The author’s insights on providing feedback, collaborating with designers, and managing internal stakeholders struck a chord with me. What sets this book apart is its ability to translate abstract leadership concepts into actionable strategies. It’s not just a theoretical treatise on design leadership; it’s a practical handbook for design leaders.
One of the book’s most outstanding qualities is its advice on delivering feedback. Constructive criticism can be a tricky terrain to navigate, especially in the creative field, but this book equips you with the tools to do so effectively. Whether you’re a seasoned design leader or someone in search of design leadership mentorship, you’ll find invaluable takeaways here.
What truly sets this book apart is its immediacy. The advice it imparts is not buried in academic jargon or management theory but is readily applicable to real-world scenarios. I’ve often found myself implementing its principles in my day-to-day work, and the results have been remarkable. The book’s practicality is one of its greatest strengths.” – Deesha Misra
Have you ever looked for free UX design tools online only to find that the software has a trial version for 30 days or asks you to start a trial with your credit card?
Definitely not helpful.
So I decided to compile 5 UX Design tools that are actually free wireframing tools and free prototyping tools. Most of these UX design tools are open source which ensures on some level that they are free. Are they the best free wireframing tools out there? Debatable but a really good start if you need a UX design tool that you don’t have to pay for. I explain what you can do with it, what other people have to say and share a tutorial so you can have a good feel for the tools.
5 Free UX Design tools in 2025 that are actually free
An open-source GUI prototyping tool based on the Mozilla platform that can be used to create site wireframes and mockups.
What can you do with it?
Wireframe creation
Flowchart/Diagramming
Drag & drop
Templates
UI prototyping
What users of Pencil have to say
Pros: Pencil project is an Open Source software with multiplatform support
It has an important library of shapes for the creation of models and interfaces, with the look and feel of the most popular systems and platforms such as Android, IOS and Windows.
It has extensions to be worked from the web browser Mozilla Firefox
allows linking between the sheets of a project to optimally simulate the browsing experience between the screens of the model
Cons: As graphical elements are inserted in the multiple sheets of the documents tends to put the software slower
Pros: The ease with which this tool can be used offers impressive results and in a very friendly way. You do not have to be an expert to use it, you just have to be clear about what you want to do and the tool makes everything easy for you.
Cons: I have no problems for this product as it is the perfect tool for flow charts. It is very easy to use.
Overall: Speed when starting my personal and professional projects. Speed when building flow diagrams.
Pros: Very intuitive. Great variety of icons. I don need to know about sistems development in order to working with it.
Cons: I think that its not easy to download. I couldn´t download my work in another format like .pdf or .jpg.
Overall: To learn about sistems design. To make templates and mockups for my tecnology project. To express graphically process in a sistem.
1. How does the community contribute to Pencil Project?
The community on Pencil Project actively creates and distributes different collections for free, enhancing the resources available to users and showcasing the collaborative nature of the tool’s user base.
2. What export formats are supported by Pencil Project?
Diagrams created in Pencil Project can be exported in various formats such as PNG, PDF, ODT, or even as a web page, providing users with flexibility in sharing and presenting their work.
3. What types of diagrams or models can be created using Pencil Project?
Pencil Project allows users to create flowcharts, apps for desktop/web/mobile, or general-purpose diagrams. It offers a built-in collection of shapes and stencils specifically for prototyping apps for Android and iOS.
Pros: You have everything you need to plan and design your web / mobile development project in one place. A free plan that is more than generous so anyone can start using it. Amazing tools and presets to do about any wireframe you imagine. Mockflow offers integration with popular apps like MS Teams, Confluence, Trello, and Slack, enabling smooth collaboration and communication among team memb
When considering the use of Mockflow, there are several advantages and disadvantages to take into account.
On the positive side, Mockflow offers 50 additional tools that aid in enhancing the design process, along with a variety of premade templates that can expedite your work. It provides a centralized platform where you can conveniently create, share, and collaborate on design projects. Furthermore, designing with Mockflow is described as super easy and quick. Mockflow comes with presets that speed up the wireframing process, saving users time and effort that would otherwise be spent on creating shapes from scratch. This tool is designed to enhance productivity and streamline the design process, making it an excellent choice for individuals and teams working on various design projects.
Cons: Not many cons with this, the only comment I would have is to improve the copy and paste, it uses some sort of flash technology, understandable with what it offers but it can get annoying when you’re used to right hand click copy, and it does not show the copy or paste so you have to do a CTRL+C and CTLR+V to paste. (this might be a Firefox only related issue, just saying)
On the downside, the free version of Mockflow comes with limited features, restricting its benefits primarily to wireframing and creating mockups. Additionally, users may experience performance issues when dealing with multiple pages on the platform.
Overall: I was in a rush 5 month ago to plan a large web / mobile application for a client. I use a lot of wireframing tools depending on the project, but I wanted to try something new and had seen mock flow a few weeks back so thought why not give it a try. At this time I was mostly looking for speed, to catch up with the planning stage. Within 1 hour of playing with the wireframing tools, I had designed 30% of the project. At this point I was sold, and had already bought the license and am I glad I did, it opened up access to all the other tools such as able to see a site map of your application designs with one click, with other tools I always had to draw those by hand, now I can just export. It also gave me access to a website builder, design collaboration and annotation, banner designer and timeline manager. This puts everything I need to get this project from planning stage to production in one place. Love it, keep up the great work!
Figma is a semi “free”, online UI tool to create, collaborate, prototype, and handoff. Figma lives in the browser and works on Windows, Chrome, Mac, and Linux. All of your work is autosaved which you can access with Figma’s version history. It’s lightweight, fast and doesn’t need to be installed to use or share files.
Figma has a Starter package on its pricing page that has the following offering
3 Figma and 3 FigJam files
Unlimited personal files
Unlimited collaborators
Plugins and templates
Mobile app
Site address: https://www.figma.com/
Now it’s your turn
I hope you enjoyed my list of 5 free UX design tools, that are actually free in 2025. If so please share this article with a colleague, a student or someone you know is transitioning into UX design.
Today’s design brief is to redesign the Uber app to boost ride bookings during holiday seasons. This redesign will focus on enhancing user experience, providing holiday-specific features, and optimizing the app’s functionality to handle increased demand.
This is the tenth design brief or practice project for UI and UX designers looking to build a portfolio of credible work. Each detailed client brief is time-boxed, detailed, and crafted realistically enough to give you a hands-on experience of doing a real project. The design brief is meant to help you create realistic work you can add to your portfolio and test if design really is for you.
Designing an app is unique in that there are particular guidelines and best practices already outlined for Android and IOS that are different in some way to web patterns. This challenges the designer to be able to understand how platform constraints affect design.
As is usually the case, I have included the following with each design brief:
Timeline(For this to be realistic each brief has a timeline that is as close to real-world work as possible)
Objectives(What is REQUIRED by the client. This part usually trips designers up as they go off designing what is not required)
Platform(Where your designs will live. Understanding these platforms will give a well-considered solution)
Target audience (Users always come first and the design must accommodate the target audience’s pain points)
References(If you are not sure where to start, clients normally give a set of examples or references they like. The closer the design solution is to the references, the fewer revisions a designer will have to do)
Deliverables(Most importantly how the solution should be delivered. These represent what a well-detailed portfolio case study looks like so hit it out of the park)
Recruiter advice(Portfolio advice from creative directors, CEOs and leading design creatives from the biggest companies)
This will help you build your case study much faster as the project objectives and such are provided.
Let’s begin
Practice Project 10: Redesigning Uber App for Increased Holiday Rides
Client: Uber
Timeline 1–2 weeks. The project is expected to be completed within two weeks.
Objectives
The goal is to redesign the Uber app to boost ride bookings during holiday seasons. This redesign will focus on enhancing user experience, providing holiday-specific features, and optimizing the app’s functionality to handle increased demand.
“The global ride-sharing market is expected to grow from $75.39 billion in 2020 to $117.34 billon in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 55.6%.” – Grand View Research”By 2030, Urban areas will be home to more than 60% of the world’s population, leading to increased demand for ride-hailing services.” – McKinsey & Company
Requirements:
Festive and engaging user interface with holiday themes
Holiday-specific promotions and discounts
Enhanced ride booking and tracking features
Integration of special holiday services (e.g., ride scheduling, gift deliveries)
Improved communication tools for riders and drivers
Optimized performance for both iOS and Android platforms
Safety features and in-app support
Success Metrics to Consider:
Ride Volume: Increase in the number of rides booked during the holiday season
User Engagement: Increased daily active users and session duration
Promotion Utilization: High usage rate of holiday promotions and discounts
User Satisfaction: Improved user ratings and positive feedback in app stores
Target Audience
Jane Lee, 34 | The Holiday Shopper NEEDS Jane is a busy professional who relies on Uber for her holiday shopping trips. She needs reliable and quick transportation to navigate through the holiday traffic, and she appreciates easy access to in-app holiday deals and discounts. However, she often faces long wait times and difficulty finding available rides during peak shopping hours, which adds to her frustration. Managing multiple shopping bags while commuting also poses a challenge for her.
Michael Patel, 40 | The Family Traveler NEEDS Michael is a parent who uses Uber to travel with his family during the holidays. He needs safe and spacious rides that can accommodate his entire family, with features like car seats and child safety locks. Scheduling rides in advance for holiday events is crucial for him. Unfortunately, he struggles to find large vehicles that meet his requirements and faces challenges in coordinating multiple pickups and drop-offs for family members, all while ensuring the safety and comfort of his children.
Sarah Lee, 28 | The Festive Party Goer NEEDS
Sarah is a social butterfly who relies on Uber to attend holiday parties. She seeks affordable and reliable rides, especially during peak party hours, and values the ability to share rides with friends easily. However, she frequently encounters high surge pricing and long wait times during holiday events. Coordinating ride-sharing with friends can also be a hassle, and the uncertainty of ride availability during busy periods adds to her stress.
Requirements
Please test our existing app with users to understand how the current functionality could be improved. Address their biggest pain point.
User-friendly interface that allows for easy navigation
Ability to personalize music recommendations based on user preferences
Option to create and save playlists
Feature for offline listening as a stronger offering
Integration with social media platforms for easy sharing
Ability to purchase concert tickets through the app
Platform
The app should be compatible with either iOS or Android devices. Pay attention to IOS and Android guidelines.
References that our company would like the app to follow in terms of structure and layout. It will be your job to replicate something close to these examples but add your creative flair to it.
Safety and Support Screen: In-app emergency contacts, real-time ride sharing with friends/family, safety tips
Promotions and Deals Screen: Special holiday offers, discount codes, referral bonuses
User Profile and Settings: Personal information, payment methods, ride history, preferences
Testing and Results section
Show your wireframes to 5 people and ask them using your designs what they think about them, what they would improve, and an overall rating.
Take their feedback, iterate the designs, and have a final round of testing with 5 users. See that you improve your overall rating. If not go back to the drawing board and change your designs and retest.
What to do next
Download portfolio project PDFs of all the other existing design projects to do in your own time.
