Tag: portfolio website examples

50 UX UI portfolio intros you can “borrow” from Google, Apple, Facebook & Uber hires

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.

UX Portfolio Case Study template (plus examples from successful hires)
A UX portfolio Case Study template for making your portfolio simpler and less overwhelming with the aim of getting you…uxdesignmastery.com

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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Help me get the word out by sharing this article on platforms like Pinterest and X(formerly Twitter).

Check out these popular articles related with portfolio creation or just follow for more unique UX articles like this one. Cheers!!

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UX/UI projects for beginners #6: Food App

This is the sixth 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.

Today I have a saucy one for you, excuse the pun. A UX/UI project for beginners on designing a food app.

We all have at some point felt too busy (lazy) to cook and reached out for our phones to order some delicious food. The convenience of ordering food is undeniable and such a ubiquitous reflex that we do not even think about it. I personally enjoy cooking for the family but there are times when I cannot due to the kids, an event or work.

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 platforms 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)

Let’s begin.

UX UI Design Portfolio Project 6: Designing an Food App

Client
OhSoYum

Timeline
1–2 weeks. The project is expected to be completed within two weeks.

Objectives

We are looking to create a food delivery app that will allow users to order food from their favorite restaurants and have it delivered to their doorstep. The app will need to be user-friendly, visually appealing and efficient. “Online food delivery has become a $200 billion global industry, yet there is still plenty of room for growth as people increasingly opt for the convenience of delivery.” – Bloomberg

Success Metrics to Consider:
User acquisition and retention rate
Order volume and revenue growth
User engagement and time spent on the app
Positive reviews and ratings

Target Audience

Marcus Lee, 32 | Busy Professional
NEEDS
Does not have the time to cook and prefer to order food online for convenience. They prioritize quick and reliable delivery and are willing to pay more for premium services. Health conscious and wants to eat healthy meals. She also has a tight budget and wants affordable options.

Sophia Patel, 37 | Health-Conscious Eater
NEEDS
College student who prioritizes healthy eating and has specific dietary restrictions. Always looking for options that fit their lifestyle and are willing to pay more for high-quality, healthy food. On a tight budget and wants affordable options

Sandra Jenkins, 35 | Budget-Conscious
NEEDS
Has two kids and a busy job. She needs an app that offers healthy options for her family as well as quick and convenient delivery options on a limited budget. Wants to feed her family healthy meals but doesn’t have the time or energy to cook after a long day at work.

Requirements

  • The app should allow users to browse and order from a variety of restaurants in their area.
  • Users should be able to customize their orders, including special instructions and dietary restrictions.
  • The app should provide real-time updates on the status of their order, including estimated delivery time.
  • Payment options should be secure and user-friendly.
  • The app should have a feature for users to leave reviews and ratings of restaurants and drivers.

Platform

  • The app should be compatible with either iOS or Android devices. Pay attention to IOS and Android guidelines.

IOS guidelines
https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/ios/visual-design/adaptivity-and-layout/

Android guidelines
https://material.io/design/usability/accessibility.html#hierarchy

References

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.

Uber Eats: https://www.ubereats.com/
DoorDash: https://www.doordash.com/
Grubhub: https://www.grubhub.com/

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.

• Home screen – This is the main screen of the app that users will see when they open it. It might include a search bar, categories for different types of food, and a list of popular restaurants.

• Restaurant details screen – When a user selects a restaurant, they will be taken to a screen with more information about that restaurant. This might include the menu, photos of the food, and reviews from other users.

• Ordering screen – This screen will allow users to place an order from the restaurant they’ve selected. It might include options for customization, like choosing toppings or specifying dietary restrictions.

• Payment screen – After a user has placed an order, they will need to enter payment information. This screen might include options for different payment methods, like credit card or PayPal.

• Order tracking screen – Once an order has been placed, users will want to know when it will be delivered. This screen might include real-time updates on the status of the order, like when it’s being prepared, when it’s out for delivery, and when it’s been delivered.

• Profile screen – This screen will allow users to manage their account information, like their name, address, and payment methods. It might also include options for viewing past orders and saving favorite restaurants.

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.

Advice from recruiters

I want to see case studies that demonstrate a deep understanding of user needs, a creative approach to problem-solving, and a passion for delivering exceptional user experiences.

John Smith, Senior Product Designer at Doordash

I’m looking for designers who can demonstrate how they’ve solved complex problems in simple and elegant ways. I want to see how you can take a user-centered approach and turn that into a product that’s both delightful and effective.

Haraldur Thorleifsson, Head of Design at Uber

Show me how you’ve used data and research to inform your design decisions and how you’ve collaborated with cross-functional teams to deliver successful products. Don’t just showcase the final design, but also the process and the challenges you faced along the way.

Jane Doe, Senior UX Designer at Grubhub

Your portfolio should showcase your ability to think critically about design problems, communicate your ideas clearly, and collaborate effectively with others. It’s not just about pretty visuals, but about the insights and rationale behind your design decisions.

Kim Williams, Director of UX Design at Amazon

I love to see designers who can showcase a process, not just the end product. How did you get there? What were the decisions and tradeoffs you made along the way? How did you incorporate feedback and iterate? All of this tells me a lot about how you approach design problems and how you work with cross-functional teams.

Julie Zhuo, VP of Product Design at Facebook

What to do next

Download a portfolio project PDF of this design project and all the other existing design projects to review in your own time.

UX/UI projects for beginners #5: Property Website

This is the fifth 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.

Continue reading “UX/UI projects for beginners #5: Property Website” »

UX/UI projects for beginners #4: Agency website

This is the fourth design portfolio project for UI and UX designers. A detailed client brief that is time-boxed, detailed, and crafted to give you a hands-on experience of doing a real project. Each portfolio project is meant to help you create work you can add to your portfolio.

The other projects in the series from UX Design Mastery

UX/UI portfolio projects for beginners #1 Blog Website

UX/UI portfolio projects for beginners #2: eCommerce site

UX/UI portfolio projects for beginners #3: Travel App

A little about me

My first job in design was for a small design agency as the Lead UX/UI designer. 

I met the CEO over coffee for my interview and he hired me on the spot and asked me to name my salary.

That totally took me by surprise because it meant I had successfully transitioned from being a Java Developer to being headhunted for a design role within a year. He had pointed to the fact that my portfolio had demonstrated enough creative potential to get the job done rather than work experience. 

You see, I had not done an internship, gone to a design school, or worked in a design company but I still had great portfolio projects that I had conceptualized from nothing. The design projects were detailed, tackled a real problem, and demonstrated my design process and design skills.

The same thing could happen to you. I was fortunate that I had practiced my design skills to the point that someone could see the value I could bring to their company. 

A key takeaway is I had designed solutions to projects aligned with what I actually wanted to do on the job. 

So if you want to work for an agency do a number of campaign projects. If you want to work for an app development house, do a number of mobile app designs. Treat all your conceptual projects as gateways to where you want to be. This is what these design projects are for.

Today’s project is to create a responsive agency website for desktop and mobile.

About Design portfolio projects for UX and UI designers

Included in each design brief is the following:

  • 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 get into it

This time we look at an agency website project.

UX UI Design Portfolio Project 4: Designing an Agency website

Client
Choose any design agency brand of your liking

Timeline
2–3 weeks

Objectives

Create a responsive website that allows an agency to:
 • Market who they are, what they do and what they stand for
 • Showcase their work case studies and awards they have won
 • Contacted by potential clients
 • List available positions and receive job applications

Platform

Please design a design agency website for desktop (1200px wide and mobile view 365px wide)

Limitations/Specifications

The site must load quickly hence any interactions or large imagery must be kept to a minimum.

Target Audience

Deliverables

  • Compile a case study on Behance(Get a free account) laid out like this; Name of project, date, your role, project type(Concept)
     • Research: (Refer to the References provided)
     • Highlight 3 enhancements or unique features you have included in the solution that makes the site unique and allows it to stand out from other design agencies
     • Sketch of conceptual and initial ideas
     • Wireframes and prototype of 
     ⁃ Homepage with work, values, team, and contact us calls to action
     ⁃ Our work with filter by industry, date, and awards
     ⁃ About us with values and team bio
     ⁃ Contact us with a map and form
     ⁃ Careers with a culture section and application form


These should be both desktop and mobile screens

 • 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.

References

References that the company would like their website to follow in terms of structure and layout. It will be your job to replicate something close to these websites but add your creative flair to it.

https://ueno.co/
https://basicagency.com/
https://dixonbaxi.com/

Advice from recruiters

Simon Mogren, Head of Design, BBDO

I don’t want to see every piece of work that you have ever done. Pick your favorite pieces. It doesn’t need to be for the most famous or biggest clients as long as you are proud of it and want to talk about it.
I would like to see more personal projects in portfolios. The work that you did in the best of conditions and with full artistic freedom

Helen Rice, Fuzzco

We want to see work that is consistently good. The best portfolios take a well-rounded and curated approach to showing work. Ideally, we’d see a handful of solid logos, examples of web design, examples of illustration, and some editorial work.
They should briefly describe the work and the particular role they played. We get a little nervous when someone’s portfolio includes a lot of team projects. We want to clearly understand someone’s strengths and weaknesses before we hire them.

Audrey Liu, Lyft

Telling the story of your work — how it all relates, why it’s important — matters. Additionally, it’s important for designers to show that they understand the goals of their work and that those goals touch on both user and business needs. A pet peeve of mine is when there really isn’t a good reason behind the work, or the designer doesn’t show any interest in or understanding of its impact on the business or user.

If you would like a portfolio project PDF of this design project you can download it at UX Design Mastery. Included is a portfolio project layout template that outlines how to present your project your final case study. 

UX/UI portfolio projects for beginners #2: eCommerce site

One of the greatest challenges with transitioning into a UX/UI design role without any design work experience or educational background is proving your skills to a prospective recruiter or client.

This is the s project in the series after UX/UI portfolio projects for beginners #1 Blog Website

You may have already read up online on how to become a UX designer or a UI Designer but unfortunately you still have a vague or generic guide that comprises of:

  • Doing an internship 
  • Mentorship 
  • Reading books 
  • Doing courses
  • Learning design tools 
  • Going to meet-ups

The truth of matter is that you will need a portfolio with detailed design projects that effectively communicates to recruiters and clients that you are the right person to hire. 

But such design projects are few and hard to come by unless you intern with a really good company that has cool projects. 

Most unsolicited redesigns and Dribbble shots lack technical feasibility and real world constraints to be taken seriously. 

So what can you do to address this problem?

A little about me

My own journey into design from being a Java Developer was a challenging one when it came to creating a portfolio recruiters would take notice of.

I did not know what projects to put into a portfolio. Mobile, Desktop or app designs?

What level of detail did recruiters want to see from my work?

And just generally were to begin.

I am going to share with you two things worked for me and helped me get started.

  1. Looking at other designers work. I was a member of Behance community and would spend hours going through the most popular projects, most awarded projects and how they were structured. 
  2. Creating detailed design projects of problems I found on forums and in the news.

I did not get a massive following of designers on Behance but what I did have was a collection of about 6 well thought out projects that helped me sell my skills. Calvin Pedzai on Behance
I

These projects got me headhunted by a digital design company who were impressed by the types of projects and the level of detail.

Each design project related to what the design companies were looking for and hiring me was a no brainer despite the level of experience.

To help you get the same opportunities and create a well-rounded portfolio, I decided to create a series of detailed briefs or practice projects that you can use.

Design portfolio projects for UX and UI designers

Included in each design brief is the following:

  • Recruiter advice (Portfolio advice from creative directors, CEOs and leading design creatives from the biggest companies) 
  • 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)

This practice project/Client brief is the second one in this series after the one for a Blog website.

Lets get into it

This time we look at an eCommerce website project. 

I decided to design a solution for this brief as well so you can check out what I produced in about a week and a half, after hours. 

Ecommerce project by Calvin Pedzai

Design Portfolio Project 2: Ecommerce website

Client
Choose any clothing brand of your liking

Timeline
2–3 weeks

Objectives

Create a responsive eCommerce website that can:
 • Tell the brand’s story alongside the products (VERY IMPORTANT)
 • Showcase the latest products and bestsellers on Homepage
 • Access to the cart throughout the site
 • Show all category sections
 • Allow readers to sign for an account
 • Ability to Search through content
 • Immerse the user into the ethos of the brand

Platform

Please design for responsive web. So we require desktop screens, tablet and mobile screens.

What should be delivered

Limitations/Specifications
 • Page performance (Loading time)
 • Limited Screen size on mobile

Target audience

Young males and females 25 to 35

Target audience: Blake

Blake, 31
PAIN POINT
Faster way of discovering products when searching.

Target audience: Sarah

Sarah, 26
PAIN POINT
Can I change the quantity of the products I add to cart?

Target audience: Crystal

Crystal, 28
PAIN POINT
How do I know these products are worth purchasing and reliable?

References

Please conduct some research on the following eCommerce websites that we love and get ideas for features to include

https://www.beatsbydre.com/
https://boostedboards.com/

Deliverables

  • Research (refer to references provided)
  • Highlight 3 enhancements or unique features you have included to make our eCommerce site to stand out and solve user pain points
  • Sketches of initial ideas
  • Wireframes
  • Visual mockups on desktop and mobile of the

-Homepage
 ⁃ Category page with filters
 ⁃ Product detail page
 ⁃ Menu/Search
 ⁃ Cart

  • Results section: Feedback from testing with 5 random people
  • Fonts: Brand related
  • Colors: Brand related
  • Link to this project

Nice to haves

Video walk-through (Screen record an Invision prototype)

Additional message from client

Go through an entire shopping experience offline and online to understand how products are sold.

Advice from recruiters

Sketches, wireframes, unused design concepts, etc. That is the work. The final design is just the end of that entire design process. Getting to see that thinking and decision making is a big differentiating factor when deciding on who to hire.

Aaron Stump, VP, Creative Director Invision

Imagine us sitting in our weekly meeting room at 5 p.m., the last meeting before home time. We open up your portfolio and see several screenshots of mobile interfaces under a project name. The work seems relevant but there’s no description of what we’re looking at. We don’t know what you did, what the goal was or how you feel about it. We’re left with questions and move on to the next portfolio. Never forget your user.

Stanley Wood, Spotify

A more effective use of time would be explaining how a project solved a client’s problem, how designs were changed based on client feedback, and anything they wished they could have done but couldn’t, for whatever reason. Those stories are far more useful and interesting than someone trying to sell their talent. 

Todd Dominey, Mailchimp

More Inspiration (Your cheat guide)

If you would you like a PDF of this design project you can download it below. Included are 2 additional eCommerce case studies and 5 online examples that you refer to from the best agencies and design companies in the world.

UX/UI portfolio projects for beginners #1 Blog Website

One of the hardest things to do when starting your design career is to create a design portfolio of impressive work.

But many have not had any substantial design work experience and the UX/UI projects they have done, are not worth putting up.

The Dribbble portfolio work they have is beautiful but often not technically feasible and has not enough real-world constraints for the work to be considered industry standard.

How do you start a design career without work experience or a college degree?

What level of detail is best to provide in a user experience designer portfolio?

How do you build a UI design portfolio?

Well, I’m glad you asked.

A good portfolio is made up of relevant, well considered detailed design projects.

At UX Design Mastery, we have created a simple and not overly complicated series of portfolio projects or practice projects, that will test your skills and help you create a well rounded UX/UI portfolio project that a recruiter will definitely take notice of.

Included in each portfolio project is a client brief that has the following:

  • Timeline (For this to be realistic each brief has a timeline that is as close to in work)

  • 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, client 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)

A little about me

(You can skip this part if you are ready to get down to some work)

When I started out in design, I had no portfolio projects or commercial experience because I had not been to a design school, let alone worked for a design company. I was coming from a technical background (software developer) but knew design was a passion because of a part time design job I did for a real estate company.

It was the most alive I had felt doing work.

You know what I mean.

When you get into the zone and can’t do anything else but DESIGN.

However I never fully considered it as a potential career at the time, until I left my developer job.

I decided to create a portfolio of conceptual work that would not only showcase my skills to potential recruiters but also help me track my growth.

In total I must have done 12 projects.

I would research on forums and help boards for reoccurring problems real people were complaining about and try to design an appropriate solution.

That gave each project, real world constraints and limitations that recruiters absolutely loved.

It was not long after I posted my portfolio that I got headhunted.

Repeatedly.

Without a degree or work experience. Woah.

But well thought out detailed portfolio projects.

I hope these portfolio projects do the same for you.

If you are ready to create some awesome work, let’s begin!!

Advice Quotes: (A few things to consider from recruiters)

We don’t want work that simply copies everything else. Our clients come to us to help them meaningfully resonate and differentiate. That means that we need to be on the bleeding edge of what is relevant, inspiring and thought-provoking.

Karin Soukup, Managing Partner, Collins


On a good/bad day I look at maybe 20–30 portfolios. Most of the time for maybe five seconds before I decide if it’s worth exploring further. So my first recommendation would be to make sure you grab the audience straight away. Show me something great and/or unexpected. Ideally both.

Haraldur Thorleifsson, CEO, Ueno


Show me how you’ve gone from insight, to concept, to solution, to impact with a real project example. That will help me understand how you work and think, and assure us you can do it again.

Katie Dill is Director of Experience Design at Airbnb


Client brief #1 Blog Website

Client:
Name: Vibz
Fonts: Use any you like
Colors: Use any you like

Timeline:

2 weeks to 4 weeks

Objectives

We would like a unique blog website that can:

  • Show featured articles on Homepage
  • Article page
  • Show all category sections
  • Allow readers to signup to a newsletter
  • Showcase our Instagram feed
  • Ability to Search through content
  • Guest authors
  • Social Sharing and liking of posts
  • Article ratings

Platform
Please design for responsive web. So we require desktop screens as well as mobile screens.

Limitations
Page performance (Loading time)
Limited Screen size on mobile

Target audience
Young males 25 to 35

Pain points
Searching for inspiration about lifestyle, health, news, music, movies and gadgets (Our category sections)
Get bored with uninspiring content 
Hate having to return to websites to check for new articles

References


Please conduct some research on the following blogs we love and get ideas to include

GQ website

Men’s Health

Deliverables

  • Research section (refer to references provided and find features that should be added in order for our blog to be competitive)
  • Sketches of initial ideas
  • Sitemap/journey map 
  • Wireframes
  • Visual mockups on desktop and mobile of
    • Article page
    • Homepage
    • Category page
    • Article page
    • Menu
  • Highlight 3 enhancements or unique features you have included to make our blog stand out and solve pain points
  • Results section:Feedback from testing with 5 random people
  • Link to this project’s deliverables

Nice to have

Video walkthrough (Screen record an Invision prototype)

Additional message from client

Make it pop!!!

Inspiration (Life’s cheatsheet)

If you are still unsure about where to start I have a couple of very cool blogs done by the best agencies and design companies in the world.

Here are two case studies for you to analyze:

Adidas Originals Tumblr blog by RESN
Inside Design blog by RallyInteractive

Here are other awesome example blogs:

The Awwwards site is great source of inspiration. Make sure to bookmark it and visit it often.

https://www.awwwards.com/sites/coda-story
https://www.awwwards.com/sites/oceanographic
https://www.awwwards.com/sites/the-official-squarespace-blog
https://www.awwwards.com/sites/vogue-arabia
https://www.awwwards.com/sites/sojournal
https://www.awwwards.com/sites/ubisoft-stories
https://www.awwwards.com/sites/caleo-magazine
https://www.awwwards.com/sites/disconnect

Go through them and find features you think will work for this brief.

Download the PDF version of this post so you can work through it.