Just getting started in UX Design can be overwhelming exercise and I have put together helpful detailed articles that get you moving in the right direction
As a UX team manager and recruiter, I will be reviewing a Google Certification Course case study from Kevin, a self-taught UX designer based in Illinois. He decided to enroll in the Google UX Design Certificate Program in hopes of enhancing the limited amount of UX knowledge he already had. He studied Creative Technologies, which is an interdisciplinary major that covers several topics such as motion graphics, interactivity, and web design.
I will approach the UX portfolio the same way we normally do when hiring for a entry level designer.
Let’s get into it.
In conclusion
The Google Course definitely seems to give students a good basic UX education framework to help them build a portfolio. This case study was decent but incomplete which introduces doubt in a recruiter’s mind. There are certain sections that needed more information and some that did not make sense.
Takeaways:
Have descriptive project headings so that recruiters know which one may be relevant to them.
Always have a good summary of the problem, designer project role, project type, and when the project was done.
For any UX method used, detail why the method was picked, what the deliverables were, and how this influenced the next steps.
Show iterations, sketches, wireframes alongside sitemaps and user flows.
Detail how testing is conducted, how the feedback was incorporated and if the final design was retested
Today, I will visually take you through how recruiters evaluate a portfolio case study. This a portfolio review of Bre Huang’s internship case study titled Uber Scooters Platform. I chose this case study because despite being an entry level project, it is presented really well. Bre is a product designer, illustrator, and animator based in San Francisco and working at Uber Design.
Let dive in.
Conclusion: I would bring in Bre for a design interview. From this case study alone, Bre Huang’s strengths lie in the graphical and user interface side of things. And that’s not a bad thing as their passion visibly lie there. Despite having done usability testing there was no section dedicated to it nor the iteration based on user feedback. There is a lot more focus on icons and illustrations. A UI role would definitely be better suited but they may be trying to move in UX so I would not mark the application down based on that..
Key takeaways: – Have a good summary for recruiters who do not have much time – Avoid text heavy sections. They will not be read fully. – Show sketches, photos, rough wireframes if you have them – Present screens in a coherent manner through use numbers, annotations, and use of arrows – Include relevant projects in the portfolio for recruiters to make an informed decision
I want to share with you what a typical day at a digital agency looks like for a junior UX designer and what they should be doing from a team manager’s perspective. I am fortunate to have been a UX designer for two digital agencies and now lead a team in a product company as a UX manager. As a team manager, I am partly responsible developing my UX designers’ skills and each day feeds into a particular career goal that we would have established upfront when they started.
My own experience starting as a junior UX designer for a small local digital agency was not as supportive as that. Later when I moved to a global agency, I had more help and a larger team to bounce ideas off. Let’s explore some external factors that can influence what a junior UX designer role might look like.
What influences a junior UX designer’s day Firstly, the size of the company you join will influence what you do everyday. I was the only UX designer in a team of six comprising of the CEO, a co-founder, a project manager, and two part-time developers. My role took on many hats and responsibilities to the point that I was more of a digital designer doing both the UX and UI work. Over time, we rapidly added more team members and by the time I left, we had a total head count of 30. Moving to a bigger agency meant working with other designers whom I could bounce ideas off, more structure organizationally, and it also meant I could focus on solely UX activities.
Secondly, the size of the clients and project budget will influence what you do daily. Small agencies do not typically get huge contracts from big-name clients so most of the projects you start on will usually have a small budget and require quick turnaround. It’s important to point out that small project budgets influence the tools you can use on the job and the design process you employ. You have to be scrappier to deliver good work, withstand deadline pressure, and take on tasks that are not in your job description. So your typical day might look vastly different from a junior UX designer who started at a global digital agency with a larger headcount, and larger project budgets.
Thirdly, the UX maturity of the organization will influence what you do and how you deliver your work. By UX maturity, I am referring to how much the leadership has bought into delivering client projects that have a human-centered design approach to them. If a company understands the need for UX design in its development process and its ROI on the business, then a junior UX designer is more likely to have the time and money to do their UX practices properly. If not, you may have to employ a leaner version of a UX process.
Now let’s look at what a typical day for a junior designer in a digital agency looks like.
A day in the life of a junior UX designer at a digital agency
8:00 am
Commute to work on the train/taxi and try to avoid heavy early morning traffic.
8:30 am
In the office, drink coffee while reading emails and catching up with team members. Sometimes we would have breakfast at a small coffee shop across from our office. On Fridays, we get treated to an in-office breakfast bought by the company. Yay!! Manager tip: Intentionally spend time with your teammates. This will help develop an easier and more amicable working relationship on projects.
9:00 am
Team meeting on work currently in progress, new work that just came in, and any enhancements on launched projects. If any project is late, we make sure to communicate with the client the expected delivery date. Daily meetings are run by a scrum master who keeps track of all projects.
Manager Tip: Project allocation is done by managers or scrum master so you only need to worry about estimating your delivery timelines. Make a prioritized to-do list of specifically what you will be doing that day so that you don’t get overwhelmed or distracted during the day. A sense of accomplishment will also come with ticking things off the list and help generate momentum to knock off more work.
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Each day is slightly different depending on what is being worked on. However in most cases, iterating on designs, setting up surveys, gathering data, and attending client meetings. Mornings usually have the most meetings. Manager Tip: Set up Google Calendar to notify you of upcoming meetings ten minutes before so that you are never late. For small agencies data can come from the client, Google Analytics tracking on existing sites (to understand current conversion rates and user behavior), and testing with users provided by external recruitment companies (to get qualitative feedback).
12:00 pm Lunchtime for an hour. It is great chance to eat something, go for a walk, and take in some fresh air. At the second agency I joined there was a food cafeteria so one could get free food and sometimes you could buy food.
Manager Tip: Free food is a super common perk at design agencies. Really helps out junior UX designer who are looking to save money on lunches.
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Afternoons are great for uninterrupted focus time, design workshops, and reviews/critiques of client projects with developers, project managers, and the CEO. For team workshops, we use whiteboarding to generate ideas or map out sitemaps of proposed sites. Because it’s a digital agency, a lot of the work is responsive web design and sitemaps are a common deliverable. Sitemaps help developers think about the architectural framework for the site at an early stage. Some work is research based and delivered as presentation slides while wireframes and prototypes can be presented on a shareable URL link.
Manager Tip: Most juniors get anxious presenting/speaking to the team or client. The feeling is normal and does reduce the more practice you get. Very rarely will a junior designer be left unsupervised or unsupported. Usually junior will shadow senior designers to upskill more rapidly. The open plan setup of most agencies allow for easier collaboration and mentorship. Each project will require cross-function collaboration to deliver great work. Always ask questions and develop the ability to ask for help when you get stuck. No one is going to ridicule you for asking. It is more important for the business that no one gets stuck and we can launch a project on time.
3:30 pm
Mid-afternoon snack/ tea break to keep your energy up and take a break from the screen.
Manager Tip: There will be times when there is free time between projects. Use this time to do an online course to improve one or more of your on-the-job skills. This could be a software tool, communication skill, presentation skill, or even writing-related. Always put your hand up to help team members if you find yourself available and free.
5:30 pm
Commute home
Overtime
Sometimes overtime is needed to do non-billable work like creating client pitches for new contracts. Because this is a vital part of the business in generating revenue and growth, it is prioritized at certain times of the year depending on the agency size. You may help with proof-reading or the design of the final pitch deck. Employees are paid for overtime, get dinner, and may also get a travel allowance for commuting home at night. Working on client pitches can be fun and a bonding time as most of the team will also be present.
Outside the office
Team socials are held quarterly or at the end of the year. Flexi-time is a big thing in digital agencies meaning that you can come in early and leave early if you fulfill your 8 working hours. Or you might want to start a bit later in the morning, however, your start time will be determined by when your first meeting is going to be.
One can also attend meetups, trainings, and conferences during the year where you can network with other designers in the industry. Your company can pay for these as it’s part of your career development unless if there is no budget for it. Make sure to ask during interviews whether the budget is allocated to staff development.
In conclusion
Being a UX designer in the design field is lots of fun and hard work. As a junior designer, you do not need to feel anxious about knowing what to do or how to do it because you are starting a new role. Team leads and project managers will give you guidance and support through projects. There is a lot of room for growth and your goal should be to learn like a sponge.
Make sure you ask in interviews about the size of the team, budget for design tools, flexi-time, career development, and mentorship.
This series aims at quickly summarizing UX books you know of and some you may not have read. We will outline 5 main practical takeaways from each book that you can use in your job, how long it takes to read the book and share balanced reviews on the book. Today’s UX book is Lean UX:Applying Lean Principles to Improve User Experience by Jeff Gothelf and Josh Seiden.
Lean UX: Applying Lean Principles to Improve User Experience – Quick Summary
Inspired by Lean and Agile development theories, Lean UX lets you focus on the actual experience being designed, rather than deliverables. This book shows you how to collaborate closely with other members of the product team, and gather feedback early and often. You’ll learn how to drive the design in short, iterative cycles to assess what works best for the business and the user.
Book Reading Time: 4.1 Hours Amazon Rating: 4.3 / 5
About the author Jeff Gothelf is a designer & Agile practitioner. He is a leading voice on the topics of Agile UX & Lean UX and a highly sought-after international speaker. He is currently a Managing Director in Neo’s New York City office. Previously, Jeff has led teams at TheLadders, Publicis Modem, WebTrends, Fidelity, & AOL.
5 Main takeaways fromLean UX: Applying Lean Principles to Improve User Experience
Integrate UX Design into Agile Development:
Description: Lean UX advocates for embedding UX design deeply into the Agile development process. This involves frequent and ongoing collaboration between designers, developers, and product managers throughout the project lifecycle.
Implementation: Ensure that UX designers are part of the Agile team, participating in all stages of planning, development, and iteration. Regularly hold collaborative sessions, such as design studios or critique sessions, to integrate feedback and ideas continuously.
Focus on Hypothesis-Driven Design:
Description: Shift from delivering design artifacts to solving user problems by testing hypotheses. Formulate hypotheses about user behavior and validate them through experimentation.
Implementation: Start with clear problem statements and hypotheses. Use rapid prototyping and user testing to validate assumptions. For example, if you hypothesize that a new feature will improve user engagement, prototype it quickly and test it with a subset of users to gather feedback.
Prioritize Continuous Learning and Adaptation:
Description: Lean UX emphasizes a cycle of continuous learning, where user feedback is constantly integrated into the design process to inform ongoing improvements.
Implementation: Implement regular usability tests and user interviews to gather insights. Use this data to iterate on designs frequently. For example, set up a feedback loop where user insights from each sprint inform the priorities and design adjustments in the next sprint.
Create Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) for Testing:
Description: Use MVPs to test ideas with minimal investment, focusing on delivering just enough functionality to validate the core assumptions.
Implementation: Develop MVPs to test key features and gather user feedback before full-scale development. For instance, if you’re introducing a new user interface, create a simplified version that users can interact with to gather initial reactions and identify major issues.
Promote Collaborative Decision-Making:
Description: Lean UX stresses the importance of shared understanding and decision-making within the team. By involving all team members in the UX process, you can leverage diverse perspectives and expertise.
Implementation: Facilitate workshops and design sprints that include all relevant stakeholders. Encourage open communication and collective problem-solving. For example, during a design sprint, involve developers, product managers, and marketers to brainstorm and refine ideas together.
Balanced Reviews on this book
“Loved it. Really straightforward easy to understand with great real-life examples and photos of how other companies, including some huge ones like PayPal, meetup.com, and Dropbox, implemented lean ux and the growing pains. Takes a lot of pressure off of designers and creates a more team-effort feel which is both scary (as I am a designer used to working in my little cave) and exciting. I rated 4 stars and not 5 because I would have liked some more detailed how-to’s for the entire process, and not just the concepts. Like how to include everyone throughout while battling with their time and availability for their primary jobs, how to make executive decisions when needed without being a hero or breaking the process. When changes are too small to have meetings and collaboration over, etc. all these little uncertainties I have make it scary but he mentions in most of his real-life stories that perfecting the lean us process was also a process and isn’t something that had to be perfectly executed the first time. I will be implementing this next month across the company and cities and am excited and a little sweaty to do it. 🙂 this book makes me feel more prepared… But I’ll still need to carry extra deodorant as I get started. :)” – Amazon reviewer
“Even though I am not directly involved in the UX world, most of our projects have at least one or more UX resources involved. Being a Scrum person in terms of execution, I’ve always struggled with how to best incorporate those UXers into the mix. This book not only lays out a much “leaner” approach than the typical User Centered Design (UCD) process, but gives real world examples on what this looks like in terms of a project setting. Although I did find the chapter of integrating LeanUX + Scrum lacking (hence the 4 instead of 5 stars), the book itself was a wealth of knowledge for all readers (not just those involved in UX). It opened my eyes to cross functional teams where the UX resource will become more of a facilitator and the developers could easily assist with being research assistants, scribes, and partnering with the UXers. It has spawned my interest in how I can better assist in reducing documentation and fixating on the end product.”- Amazon reviewer
“I really enjoyed some of the concepts put forward in this book. It started strong and just when I thought we were getting into the real meat of the details, it turned out we were wrapping up. Would have loved some more detailed examples of applications and case studies, most examples were cursory and without detailed evidence. We got the description, but not the “why”. Most of my highlighting was in the first half of the book…” – Amazon reviewer
“I found this to be an okay book on the design process. It is primarily about software design, but some of the practices could be useful with other products as well. While the ideas presented are nothing new to anyone directly involved with customers or product design, it is still a good book to think about the process of design in an organization. It is not a book about how to do good design on any specific product, but rather on how to implement a specific “brand” of design process. For those who need to have a formal process in place, this one should work reasonably well. My biggest problem with it was the “brandedness” of the whole thing. There is a bit of “infomercial” style marketing flavor to the whole thing, and it seemed just a bit too much like a marketing piece itself (you know, for the “get my latest book” part of a business seminar).
There are lost of good ideas in here, but you will have to wade through a certain amount of what I call “capitalization disease” – using a lot of capitalized acronyms, brands, etc. – like the New Age people who capitalize words like “Cosmic” and “Energy” all the time to make a (supposedly) greater impact. Not the worst book on design, but more focused on setting up a design process than truly explaining how to understand the User Experience.” – Amazon reviewer
“The book is well organized and an easy read. I would say even if you are not focused on say Lean startup techniques, yet interested in removing waste as in the traditional Lean practices, then this is an essential read for Product Managers and Development team. I am highly recommending this to Product Owners and team members of Scrum teams as the Lean approach points to how one can get teams focused. The book could have done with better proof reading as errors in terminology may put folks off yet there are excellent elements of such as having a hypotheses and essentially taking a Scientific approach in testing the hypotheses. So sure the four Agile values are incorrectly stated as principles, and no doubt in the abstract one can confuse values and/or principles. In fact they could have provided some treatment to the twelve Agile principles […] in order to introduce a narrower set of principles as there are some overlapping principles. As someone already mentioned the 15 or so principles would have been better presented in a simpler form that is memorable.
The main thrust of the book is that early on in Software industry development was undertaken at the behest of someones best guess. Now, software development is no longer the new kid on the block and fortunately we now have tools and techniques learnt as a result of the past that pushes teams to be more deliberate with the choices they make versus a choice made in some ivory tower. Sure a higher level choice is made through company and product strategy. This hasn’t trickled down as easily as one would imagine and Lean UX shows a way in how one can focus on flow of ideas all the way to customer realizing value based on customer feedback and frequent learning that teams engage in.” – Amazon reviewer
The short answer is no. You are never too old to make a career change. The real issue has nothing to do with age. It’s a self-esteem issue rooted in lack of belief that you could successfully transition from a role in which you have invested so much, to start on one that is completely new. In this article, we will explore how to overcome several limiting beliefs that are stopping you from embarking on an exciting career change. In addition, I will share inspiring testimonials and advice from designers who have started their journeys after 30.
But first, let’s begin with the most common limiting beliefs.
I am too old to become a UX designer
You are not hired based on age but on your ability to solve problems and bring value to an organization. The design market (recruiters and employers included) responds primarily to your creative skills (hence the need for a strong portfolio of work) and your soft skills. While ageism can be a factor in some industries, many design companies actively work to address age bias legally and create more inclusive work environments. Other more critical factors like personality, values, and talent will prevent you from being hired.
I am inexperiencedand not good enough
You might be at an advantage compared to new graduates applying to the same role as you are technically not starting from zero. You may have already acquired valuable skills in your previous roles like project management, teamwork, and client communication. Individuals with job maturity, diverse perspectives, and experiences are always sought after. As a design lead, I intentionally build diverse teams so that we can generate a larger pool of ideas from our different backgrounds.
Having related degrees and working in related fields also can work out in your favor. People with backgrounds in fields like architecture, graphic design, web development, psychology, or marketing may find it easier to transition. The research or design process in these fields usually overlap making easier to adjust to a new field like UX. I personally had worked as a software developer, graphic designer, teacher and website developer before specializing in UX design. All your experiences matter.Having related degrees and working in related fields also can work out in your favor. People with backgrounds in fields like architecture, graphic design, web development, psychology, or marketing may find it easier to transition. The research or design process in these fields usually overlap making it easier to adjust to a new field like UX. I personally have worked as a software developer, graphic designer, teacher, and website developer before specializing in UX design. All your experiences matter
I am too scared to fail
In life, you do not succeed at everything you do. So why are we scared of failing if we constantly encounter failure in life? Even kids know that is normal to fail at something new and unperturbed they try again until they get it. As adults, we care way too much about what people think about us when we fail and also when we succeed. We need to redefine failure as a stepping stone to success. There is no need to fear failure as it helps you grow and get closer to your goals
I don’t know how to design
You do not necessarily need to know how to design. The UX field encompasses various roles, each with specific responsibilities and areas of focus. UX Designers tend to focus on the overall experience users have when interacting with a product. They conduct user research, create personas, design wireframes and prototypes, and test designs to ensure they meet user needs. UX Researchers gather and analyze data about users and their needs. They use various methods such as interviews, surveys, usability testing, and field studies to inform the design process. UX Strategists develop long-term strategies to enhance user experience. They align UX goals with business objectives, ensuring that design decisions contribute to the overall success of the product. UX Engineers bridge the gap between design and development. They translate design concepts into interactive, front-end code, ensuring that the final product aligns with the design visio
You need to look at your past experiences, passion, and skills to evaluate which role you would feel most comfortable transitioning to.
I am too late to join UX
The demand for skilled UX designers is still high, and this trend is likely to continue in the future as new technologies and interfaces emerge. There are always going to be badly designed experiences that need improving. Companies across various industries are recognizing the importance of good design in creating user-friendly products and services, which creates opportunities for individuals looking to enter this field.
I am not sure if UX is right for me
You can evaluate if UX is right for you before you fully invest time in expensive courses and job searching. Carefully evaluate why you want to change careers. Is it out of desperation or do you have a genuine interest in UX work? How can you find this out? Learn about what a UX designer does on a day-to-day basis. Reach out to two or three UX designer for a chat about what they do, what they love about their job, and what they do not like about their job. Is it what you see yourself doing day in and day out for the next couple of years? Try to do a practice project to get a feel for the on-the-job mechanics of tackling design problems. And if you are still unsure, I have a list of the most common traits that successful UX designers have that you can measure yourself against. What these exercises should expose is whether you have the right passion to not only do the job but to be really good at it.
What Senior Designers have to say
Here are a couple of quotes from Senior designers who have started late in their career and employers who have hired older designers coming from a different field.
“Just last week, one of my graduates turned 40 and landed a 6-figure job. That’s 4 weeks after graduating from a part-time course, in the middle of a global pandemic. And he isn’t the only one. I had many students over the age of 40, some over 50, and they are all happily employed ad UX or Product designers (or managers). Age won’t stop you from getting a great career in UX. If you love it, if you really “get it”, you’ll be fine :)” – Vera, UX & Product Design Lead
“I was 35 when I got my first UX position. Granted, I went back to school when I was 32.
Going back to school in my 30’s was… punishing. I couldn’t pull all-nighters at the drop of a hat anymore. Not just because my body didn’t want to, but because I had other demands on my time that meant I couldn’t just sleep it off a couple days later. If I stayed up late studying, that meant lost sleep— because the kids were going to make enough noise to wake me up at 6am regardless of whether they meant to or not. Attending mid-day study groups was impossible— I had work to do, and it needed my prime thinking-time.
The stresses on my marriage were pretty intense— our budget was severely cut back when I went back for my engineering degrees, and my wife had to not only pick up the slack around the house, but work around the reduced income. All the while, she felt like she couldn’t bother me because I needed to focus on work and studying. It hurt her that even when we got away to the beach for a weekend, I sat on my laptop working on research and assignments.
Don’t misunderstand— it has turned out to be well worth it. We knew it would be hard going into those 3 years, but weighed the cost and committed to it. However, it was orders of magnitude more difficult than if we hadn’t had kids or even if I had been single.
Now, it’s sometimes hard to get positions because I’m older than people with similar levels of experience. I’ve been fortunate enough that I found places where I played my previous career and experiences into things they found valuable, but my offer rate is substantially lower than it would be if I were younger. I cost more because I’m older and have a family. (I’m worth more, too, but it takes more effort to convince employers of that).
If you want to do it, then go for it. You can do it. Just realize that it’s going to be harder for you to get momentum than someone ten years younger than you that is competing for the same position. Just remember:
YOU choose who you want to be.“ – Don Church, UX Designer
“No, it’s definitely not too late.”No, it’s definitely not too late. In my agency, the design team consists of professionals of different ages, which is great. We regularly receive resumes from guys aged 30+ who are at the start of a career.” – Vladislav, Founder & CEO
“Hell yes. Your life experience and maturity is something that will set you apart from the “pack.” As long as you’re open minded, lead with inquiry, question everything, and are not an asshole, the world of UI design is your oyster. Don’t let those 20 somethings with their flashy portfolios get you down… they haven’t seen half the world you have ;)” – Joe Preston, Vice President of Design at Intuit
“I started a career in UX in my mid 30s, after working as a piano teacher for 15 years. I had very little experience and no training in anything design related, but I don’t feel my age has held me back (albeit it I did have to hustle for a good couple of years before finding any success).” – Luke Razzle, Designer
“I’m well over 40 and work as a UX designer – but then I don’t consider myself working in ‘tech’ or IT or anything technical. Sure I architect and design websites and apps but I view it as problem solving, about building the right thing. This allows the real techies to build things right. I tend to work client side and find it not an issue being my age – although I don’t quite look my years. The biggest thing I find is the expectation to manage, which I can do, but rather be doing as that’s what I’ve been focused on since 1995.
The thing that will hold you back is your lack of experience. UX design is a deep subject that goes in many different directions. Past experience is vital as boot camps and course like General Assembly tend to get things only half right most of the time. They also believe too much of the hype around lean and agile without providing why it’s only part of the story and often is only really suited for young fizzy startups. In summary – the age is not a problem, your previous experience may well be. If you’ve been a designer or a developers you’ll have many old habits to unlearn, for example.” – Stewart Dean, London based UXer
In conclusion
To round off this article there are a few thoughts I want to leave you with. Commit to taking action towards transitioning to UX and intentionally sharing it with others for them to hold you accountable. It’s very easy to procrastinate and get overwhelmed with all the articles leading to you feeling despondent and discouraged. Secondly, dedicate time to your current schedule to gain progress toward achieving your goal. Create a timetable on your calendar of when you will be studying, upskilling, and networking. If you are married communicate your dream with your partner and map out a plan that works for your family. Have a deadline for your milestones.
And lastly, pay the cost. This might mean investing a vast amount of time and resources into your journey and in some cases, you may need to take an expensive course or pay for design software. Have the end goal in mind.
It’s never too late to pursue a new career path that excites you and aligns with your interests and skills. If UX design is something you’re passionate about, don’t let your age hold you back. Embrace the opportunity to learn and grow in this field!
If you are already a UX designer let us know at what age you started.
What to do next?
A great place to start is to quickly evaluate if UX design would really be a good fit for you by reading this article:
Today’s design brief is a redesign of an existing platform namely Spotify’s music app.
This is the seventh 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
Client:Spotify
Timeline 1–2 weeks. The project is expected to be completed within two weeks.
Objectives
Our goal is to redesign the Spotify music app to provide a richer and more personalized music streaming experience for users. The app should allow users to onboard, discover new music, create playlists, and easily access their favorite songs. “By 2026, the music streaming market is projected to reach $76.9 billion globally.” – Allied Market Research.berg
Success Metrics to Consider:
User engagement metrics, such as the number of songs listened to and playlists created User signups and ratings Conversion rate for concert ticket purchases through the app Number of app downloads and active users
Target audience
Marcus Lee, 35 | Musician NEEDS Likes to create and share his own music with others. He wants a platform that allows him to easily collaborate with other artists, share his work, and get feedback from the community. Finds it challenging to get his music noticed in the crowded music industry and struggles to find a platform that caters specifically to independent artists like him.
Sophia Patel, 23 | Music Enthusiast NEEDS Enjoys discovering new artists and attending live concerts. She also likes to create playlists for different moods and occasions. Finds it frustrating when she cannot easily find new music recommendations or when she has to switch between multiple apps to listen to different genres.
Sandra Jenkins, 28 | Fitness Enthusiast NEEDS
Enjoys working out and needs music to keep her motivated during her exercise routine. She wants a platform that allows her to easily create workout playlists and discover new music that fits her workout style. Finds it frustrating when the music app doesn’t provide enough variety in workout music or when the app doesn’t have features that help her track her fitness goals.
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.
Youtube Music Apple Music Pandora
Deliverables
• Onboarding screens – These screens will introduce the app to new users and explain how to use it. They might include a welcome message, an explanation of the app’s features, and instructions on how to create an account. • Homepage – displays recommended music based on user preferences, popular playlists, and trending songs. • Search – allows users to search for songs, artists, and playlists. • Playlist – allows users to create and save their own playlists. • Player – displays the current song playing, lyrics, and options for sharing or adding to a playlist. • Settings – allows users to personalize their music preferences, including genre and artist 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 a portfolio project PDF of this design project and all the other existing design projects to do in your own time.
Choosing a UX book to read can be a daunting task especially if you do not know how it will impact your work and career. 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, detail how long it takes to read the book and highlight some key reviews. If you find the insights valuable then you can consider buying the book and diving deeper into its material.
A guide to help web designers and developers understand the principles of intuitive navigation and information design. Witty, common sensical, and eminently practical, it’s one of the best-loved and most recommended books on the subject. This book equips you and your team with an understanding of how humans behave, with valuable principles/tips to prevent and address usability issues. Web usability is fundamentally about human psychology, not technology.
Book Reading Time: 6 Hours approximately Amazon Rating: 4.6 / 5
About the author
Steve Krug (pronounced “kroog”) is best known as the author of Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, now in its third edition with over 600,000 copies in print. Ten years later, he finally gathered enough energy to write another one: the usability testing handbook Rocket Surgery Made Easy: The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Finding and Fixing Usability Problems. The books were based on the 30+ years he’s spent as a usability consultant for a wide variety of clients like Apple, Bloomberg.com, Lexus.com, NPR, the International Monetary Fund, and many others.
Prioritize Clarity and Simplicity: Krug emphasizes the importance of designing interfaces that are intuitive and easy to understand at a glance. UX designers should strive to minimize cognitive load by eliminating unnecessary elements and providing clear visual cues to guide users through the interface.
Design for Scanning, Not Reading: Users tend to scan web pages rather than reading them thoroughly. Designers should structure content in a scannable format, with concise headings, bullet points, and meaningful visuals to help users quickly find the information they need.
Create Clear Navigation Paths: Navigation should be intuitive and predictable, allowing users to easily navigate through the website or application without confusion. Use familiar patterns, such as placing navigation menus in standard locations, and provide clear labels for links and buttons.
Embrace Usability Testing: Regular usability testing is essential for identifying usability issues and gathering feedback from real users. Conducting usability tests allows designers to uncover pain points, understand user behavior, and make informed design decisions to improve the overall user experience.
Iterate and Refine: UX design is an iterative process. Designers should continuously monitor user feedback, analyze metrics, and iterate on designs based on insights gained from testing and observation. By embracing a culture of continuous improvement, designers can create more effective and user-centric experiences over time.
By incorporating these key takeaways into your design process, you can create interfaces that are user-friendly, intuitive, and optimized for the needs of their target audience.
Most highlighted in the book
“If you can’t make something self-evident, you at least need to make it self-explanatory.”
“The most important thing you can do is to understand the basic principle of eliminating question marks.”
“Clear, well-thought-out navigation is one of the best opportunities a site has to create a good impression.”
Balanced Reviews on this book
“It’s pretty common sense, which he admits outright, but I don’t think it’s anything too revolutionary. His main point is that it’s all common sense, you just don’t think about it in the moment. As a User Experience developer, I found it a little shallow for what I was hoping for. Most everything he says you would learn in design classes (my BFA is graphic design and Web/Digital Media Development, so I’d mostly heard it all before). If you don’t have a background in design or want to be informed when talking with developers, then you can get a lot out of this book. If you’ve had some experience with designing for the web, the author probably isn’t going to share anything you haven’t heard somewhere else.”
“The author does a great job explaining UX at a strategic level. He goes into extensive detail on user testing which is great. He teaches some layout detail, but still at a very high level. This is a great book to get the right mindset going into UX. I would have given the book 5 stars instead of 4 if the author dive deeper into more detail on layout and design details.”
“Includes good information about friendly web design. It does not go into details on HOW to configure those designs, so it assumes you already understand web design basics. I was surprised how fun this book was to read because it has great humor and excellent graphic examples. I read through it in a few hours and have a page full of items to fix on my website now. Glad I finally read it.”
This article is for aspiring designers who are still creating a strong introduction to their UX or UI portfolio. You may be struggling with how to summarize who you are and what your skills are on your resume, LinkedIn profile, personal portfolio website or even your social media page.
In this article I am going to share with you 50 examples of proven design portfolio introductions from designer hires from Google, Apple, Facebook, Uber, Apple, Spotify, Airbnb, and Amazon. Alot of these examples are from portfolio websites and resumes and we will dissect when to use one. I am also going to explain why it is important to have a great portfolio introduction and the basic structure of one.
Why is it important to have a strong design portfolio introduction?
Firstly, this is definitely what a recruiter is going to read and evaluate first as a potential indicator to whether they should hire you. A portfolio introduction that is vague or incorrect about the person or their skills raises red flags and doubt in the recruiter’s mind from the start and sets the tone for the rest of the interaction with your work. A bad first impression could ultimately hurt your chances of landing a dream job.
Secondly, as a designer you need to be able to sell your skills, your passion and your personality well enough for a potential recruiter to buy into you. People see selling as a bad word but it ultimately makes life easier if you know how to do it. When it relates to your design career you will be ask to not only sell or persuade people on your skills, your ideas and leadership. Look at your portfolio introduction as a concise but holistic statement that you want the marketplace to know about you.
Side note: Obviously portfolio introductions are one part of building a strong first impression with recruits. If you want to learn about enhancing your case studies as well, read this article.
I have grouped the examples into three types of design portfolio introductions based on length. Which one to use depends on the platform that the introduction will be on. In certain cases like a resume, it needs to be brief but on your personal website or LinkedIn profile you can stretch it out abit more.
Basic structure of a good portfolio introduction
The key elements of this type of design portfolio introduction answers the following questions: – Who are you – What you do – Where you work – Which city you are from – What you are passionate about
There are no hard or fast rules to how to structure your personal portfolio introduction but addressing 2 to 3 of these questions will go a long way. As you will see in the following examples, answering those questions creates a strong first impression for your work.
Let’s get started.
1. Short and punchy intro (6 to 15 words)
Josh Mateo, Spotify Senior Product Designer at Spotify in New York
Josh Mateo
Will Chan, Facebook Product Designer at Facebook.
Vera Chen, Facebook Hello, I’m Vera Chen. I create Better Experiences for Users/ People
Hiroo Aoyama, Facebook I’m Hiroo, a product designer. Incoming Product Design Intern at Facebook.
Shelby Lindblad , Facebook Multi-disciplinary designer in Oakland, CA
Jason Yuan, Apple Graphic and User Experience designer currently based in Providence.
Sanat Rath, Google Hi, I’m Sanat. I make word processors delightful at Google Docs.
Sophie Gardner, Google Product designer, formerly at Google and Palantir.
Wei Huang, Google I’m Wei, a User Experience designer at Google
Tiffany Wu, Google Hi! I’m Tiffany Wu, a designer passionate about bridging gaps between people and their goals.
Simon Pan, Amazon Simon Pan is a Product Designer based in San Francisco.
Christopher Michon, Amazon Christopher Michon is an Art Director who is designing & illustrating in Seattle.
Tobias Ahlin, Spotify I design, tinker & teach.
Hold Breton, Spotify A product designer who values durability, transparency & cadence.
2. Meaty intro (18 to 31 words)
John West, Uber Hello, I’m John. I’m a Designer in San Francisco & I do UI, UX, branding, animation, packaging and print.
Xiaoxue Zhang , Uber Currently working at Uber, focusing on Machine Learning and Design System. Previously working as a front-end developer at Tencent for 3 years.
Bre Huang, Uber I’m Pre, a process-driven product designer and illustrator on a quest to make smart, friendly and impactful experiences for people. Joining Uber Feb 19.
Xiaoxue Zhang , Uber Currently working at Uber, focusing on Machine Learning and Design System. Previously working as a front-end developer at Tencent for 3 years.
Cas Lemmens, Apple I’m Cas Lemmens. I design systems. I work as a Human Interface Designer at Apple. Previously Spotify and Hyper Island.
Hailey Cook, Apple I’m a mission driven designer looking for new opportunities in San Francisco. Check out my work and say hello!
Jesse Chase, Airbnb Jesse chase is a product designer in san Francisco, currently Sr. Experience Designer at Airbnb.
Keith Ahn, Airbnb Hi, I’m a designer based in San Francisco. I’m currently a Product Designer at Airbnb. Former Product Designer at Venmo.
Ismael Barry, Airbnb Product Designer passionate about serving people by solving for their needs and understanding the gravity of those decisions as they Impact our world.
Moneta Ho Kushner, Google I am creative director and designer from Seattle, passionate about building digital experiences that improve customers’ lives.
Alex Lakas
Alex Lakas, Google I’m Alex, a product designer at Google. Over a decade of experience focusing on desktop, mobile, social gaming, e-commerce, & early stage product design.
Rahul Jain, Google I’m a Product designer focused on creating design concepts and experiences that empowers people and solve real-world problems.
Carson Young, Google Hi! I’m Carson, a digital product designer. Former UX Design Intern at Google. Student at York Sheridan Design.
Abbey Lee, Amazon Hey Hey, I’m Abbey I’m a visual problem solver and user experience designer who has a passion from motion, visual design, human-centred goodness and the outcome.
Angela Bang, Amazon Meet Angela. Living and working in the intersection of design and tech — still wants to be an astronaut when grown up.
Brian Lee, Spotify My name is Brian. I am a digital product designer, born in Singapore, based in Stockholm, Sweden. I currently work at Spotify, with a focus on growth and activation.
Tal Midyan, Spotify Tal is a multidisciplinary designer and creative based in nYC. Currently working at Spotify as Senior Art Director. Here is a collection of projects for different artists and brands.
Andres Arbelaez, Spotify Hey! I’m Andres. Incoming Product Designer at Facebook and CoLab Fellow at IDEO. I study Human-Centered Product Design at the University of Maryland.
Amruta Buge, Spotify Amruta is an Interaction Designer at Google interested in crafting effective design solutions to create meaningful user experiences.
Mohit Gupta, Facebook A product designer with a focus in user experience, visual and interaction design. Previously at Facebook and Universe. Currently looking for full-time opportunities.
Hailey Cook, Apple I’m a mission driven designer looking for new opportunities in San Francisco. Check out my work and say hello!
Kathleen Warner, Facebook Oh hello there, I’m Kathleen. I’m a product designer who sometimes jumps into frontend. Currently on News Feed at facebook.
Julia Liang , Apple I’m glad you’re here! I’m a designer, artist, and activewear enthusiast based in Berkeley. Thank you for taking the time to view my work!
Netta Marshall, Airbnb Hello stranger, I’m Netta, a digital designer living in San Francisco. Let’s take a look at what I’ve been creating.
Sally Chan, Spotify Hello! I’m a designer at the intersection of physical and digital products and services. I do that by making connections out of seemingly disparate ideas to create something meaningful for people.
3. Detailed but relevant intro (34 to 70 words)
Andre Salver, Facebook I’m a strategy-minded product designer, passionate about designing for emerging technologies, developing wide applications for those technologies and bringing them to market. Also a recent graduate of MHCI+D and Product Designer at Facebook.
Nisa Andrews, Uber I’m an independent decentralised apps designer and product designer at Uber. I’m passionate about solving problems for humans, particularly where physical and digital worlds meet. Peep my work below or learn more about me.
Ben Minard, Apple My name is Ben Minard and I am a UI/UX designer at Apple Inc, in Cupertino, California. I recently graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a BFA in Graphic Design. Feel free to drop me an email at khdfkd@gmail.com and check out my work on Dribbble.
Craig Dehner
Craig Dehner, Apple I’m Craig Dehner, and I help companies enhance their mobile experience through smart UI design and motion. Between working on the Human Interface team at Apple, to cutting edge startups like Airbnb and Lyft, the interfaces I’ve worked on have reached millions.
Eric Lobdell, Airbnb Bay Area designer passionate about problem solving exposing and building consumer facing products. Currently designing a new typeface, hand-lettering, and collecting vinyl, I’ve poured my heart into many startups and worked at a handful of great companies: Google, MLB, Opera and #M. You can find more of my work on Dribbble. If you’ve got an exciting challenge and you’d like to work together, let’s talk.
Kaiwei Wang, Google As a designer, I try my best to make sure the design decisions are the results of a human-centred process. I keep learning new tools and trends while telling myself — the user gives the most valuable insights and the team is my strongest backbone.
Kevin Chang, Google Hey, I’m Kevin I’m a product designer & engineer with skills and experiences that allow me to take ideas from concept to mock to prototype to production.
Formerly AR & VR at Google Daydream, design at Google Lens, product at BayRu. Computer Science and creative writing at Stanford University.
Yuan Gu, Amazon Hello, I am Yuan
I am currently a UX Designer at Amazon. I have worked on a variety of projects on different platforms including but not limited to iOS, Android, Windows, etc. The best part of my job is to work the design magic around customer’s needs and seeking the balance between usability and aesthetics. This is a showcase of the projects I’ve worked on and hope you will enjoy it.
Samuel Hoang, Amazon I am a product designer crafting the future of user experiences for consumer devices and services. This is my portfolio of publicly released work. Many of my current and past projects cannot be included here due to Non-Disclosure Agreements.
Conclusions and takeaways
Feel free to try different portfolio intros. Don’t feel boxed into one format but try what suits you at that point in time. To conclude your design portfolio introduction should answer the following questions: – Who are you – What you do – Where you work – Which city you are from – What you are passionate about
What to do next
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This article is for those of you who are struggling to making any meaningful progress towards the goal of getting your first UX role. I recently had a student reach out to me to help them figure out why their portfolio was not getting them interviews and what it would take to land just a junior UX role or even an internship.
After doing a short UX course and crafting a website portfolio of projects, you may still have not gotten any responses for the UX positions you applied for. You haven’t really had anyone to guide you as to what exactly you should be doing, or where to go from here and you starting feel pretty down about the whole thing. You put a lot of effort in the classes and designs and its frustrating to think it may all have been a waste of time.
I have fortunately been through the same experience while transitioning from a totally different field but more importantly, managed to overcome those challenges to the point of being head hunted for my first two UX roles. In addition, as a UX team manager who goes through a ton of UX portfolio applications so I am able to shed some light of why certain candidates get the call for an interview and others just don’t make the cut.
Let get started with a blunt but necessary truth you might not want to hear.
Your UX portfolio work is currently not good enough.
It is imperative to understand that you are in competition with a multitude of other designers for the design roles that you are applying to and very few actually get called back for an interview. Your portfolio application is that first critical touch point that a recruiter will have with your credentials and your skills. You can not afford for the quality of your portfolio work to be ordinary or you will be passed over.
One of my core responsibilities as a team manager is hiring capable designers that will be a good fit for what we need in the team and the business as a whole. In a day, I can look at close to 30 to 40 applications and spend roughly 2 to 4 minutes on each one. This means your portfolio has to present your best and most relevant work right from the start.
But what is good enough work? Let’s get into detail about common mistakes and fixes that I regularly encounter.
1. Half baked UX case studies
A bad case study for Cafe Lulu
I find that too many times, applicants will submit a UX portfolio with case studies that have 3 or 4 screens and no other detail. Don’t be lazy when creating UX case studies. You have put in so much time and effort into learning about the design field, joining groups, watching videos on UX, doing UX courses then you fail at the last hurdle because you put a small amount of effort into actually crafting proper portfolio case studies.
UX portfolios are different in that we are assessing your skills against what is typically expected in a UX role. Research analysis, testing, wireframing, data metrics and presentation. Design screens alone will not tell us much about all these skills and we will go someone else who shows these attributes more prominently in their UX portfolio.
If you need a reference, I have written an article a successful structure for UX case studies complete with examples. Even if you are starting out as a graduate, transitioning from a different field or applying for a junior role, this will give you strong starting point.
In case you don’t read the article the key 8 point template structure is as follows. The article goes into much more detail with examples.
Project Title & Subtitle (A headline and subtitle that indicates the name and goal of the project)
Client/Company/Project type
Project date (When did you work on the project)
Your role (What you were responsible for on the project)
Project Summary/About this Project (An overview that summarizes the project, goal and results)
The challenge (What specific problem, user needs, business requirements and/or pain points that the project solves. Were there any technical constraints or business KPIs you had to keep in mind? Who are you users and what are their specific needs)
Solution (What method/process were used to solve specific problem, user needs, business requirements and/or pain points? How did features address the objectives?)
Without these case study sections in your portfolio, there are too many questions left unanswered about the project work and you skills which in turn sows doubt into a recruiter’s mind about shortlisting your application.
2. Put your best work first
Highlight your best work
This is a simple one but it is surprising how many people do not do this. If you have 4 good case studies in your portfolio, put your best ones right at the top of your portfolio. As a recruiter, I should not have to look for them. Again as I have said previously, and maybe that needs to be reiterated:
Recruiters do not have time to go through your entire portfolio
The first 2 to 3 case studies in your UX portfolio are most likely to be reviewed so make sure they are your best.
What does best work mean? It means work that is relevant to the company you are applying for and has enough depth structure wise to showcase your skills. For digital agencies, showcase web projects. For mobile app companies, showcase mobile app case studies, even if they are conceptual. That shows relevancy to the work that the company does, otherwise a recruiter has to make a judgement call on how your skills could apply to their business. Other portfolios that are better aligned with what the company does, will more likely get a call back.
3. Make the recruiter’s job as easy as possible
As designers we tend to forget the objective of a portfolio. A portfolio is meant to showcase your skills to a prospective employer or client about your skills.
The recruiters are ultimately your real audience not other designers.
So we have to cater to their needs as much as possible.
Make that recruiter happy
Use a platform or format that will be easy for them to go through the work. Whether its hosted on design sites like Dribbble.com or Behance.net, complied in a PDF document, make sure the recruiter can easily open the file format on their machine. Export work as PNGs/JPGs and don’t assume a recruiter has the program you used to create the work.
If you are hosting your portfolio on a website, make sure that the site is up and does not have usability issues when navigating your work. Nothing worse than opening a link that leads to a 404 error page.
Provide the correct contact details and ensure links to the external sites that you worked on, work. Otherwise take screenshots of the final implementation and present those as opposed to a site which might be down.
4. The company/role might not be for you
With the individual that reached out to me for help with their portfolio, we soon discovered after a series of conversations that they were applying to the wrong companies. We had to take a step back from the applications and portfolio creation to honestly evaluate if they were passionate about the field.
The truth is your passion for a field does come through the work you present in a portfolio.
If it’s all over the place and no attention to detail has been displayed, it’s clear to the recruiter that you might not have the right attitude to the work and potentially to your future role.
We eventually figured out that they would rather be doing a role that involved video game UX. That gave us a end goal to aim for and dictated everything else, the type of case studies to create, the companies to apply to, the role to apply for and the designers to network with.
5. Test your portfolio
This last point is pretty straight forward but it will require you to be vulnerable and humble enough to ask for help. Being a UX candidate I actually expect you to test your portfolio with other people. It’s what you will be doing on the job on a weekly and potentially daily basis. At least get their honest opinion on whether they would hire you and if there are any glaring mistakes in the portfolio. This is challenging to do but let’s consider the alternative.
If you prematurely send out your portfolio to really good companies and you don’t make it in, there may be a company policy in place the prevents you from applying again until a certain time period has elapsed.
This could be as long six months. And if you are email blasting your portfolio to every potential position available, you may be potentially shooting yourself in the foot.
My advice is to apply to a couple of similar positions (2 or 3) and get feedback from those applications. Then use this feedback to revise your portfolio to match the needs of the next company you are applying to. This way you can iteratively create a better portfolio every time you apply.
What to do next
Hopefully the points in this article have been helpful in identifying where you need to improve and if you are terribly overwhelmed give me shout and let’s see where I can help.
