There is no question on how significant ones portfolio is for his career. With an ultimate UX portfolio you can prove that your candidature is not just worth considering, but you are absolutely perfect for hiring. Yes! It is true indeed, that employers take your portfolio quite seriously and thus, if it is not up to the mark, it represents that you are lagging behind somewhere. This certainly can lead to your failure, which I am sure that you won't want to experience.
Your portfolio is an epitome of your talent, if you are skillful enough to be hired, your portfolio must showcase that.
While the design portfolios are around for some time now, UX portfolios are something that might appear fresh to your ears. Creating an incredible portfolio is not a child's play. One needs to work with a great precision while designing his UX portfolio. However, there are numerous themes and templates that support portfolios but, only a few of them are able generate a surefire design to perfectly compliment a UX portfolio.
For instance, the Searchlight Theme designed by D5 Creation. This responsive theme embraces an extensive number of advanced theme options and features. It supports gallery where you can showcase your projects, testimonials, unlimited color options, and a lot more. The simple and elegant design of this theme makes this multipurpose theme stand ahead of its competitors. You can conveniently create smashing portfolios by implementing this theme. It is absolutely perfect for corporate, commercial as well as personal websites. Since, the theme comes search engine optimized, you need not to worry about your visibility over the web.
Moreover, it also empowers one to tailor the visual appearance of the theme in a desired fashion to create a requisite look and feel. Thus, with Searchlight theme, you can easily tweak the features like its color scheme, style, etc., and create a minimalist and appealing UX portfolio.
For the folks who are interested in creating a UX portfolio to boost their career, here I have enlisted some useful steps that must be considered to ensure a killer portfolio; let's have a look into them.
When one apply for a job, everyone wants to flaunt his strengths and skills. Thus, it is advisable to put your one foot in front of the other, as recruiters are trained to delve into the truth. There are several examples that have proved that a genuine candidate always win in the end.
However, it can't be gainsaid that representing the work through portfolios is an arduous task for UX designers. You can go a mile by being honest to employers. Expose your work style and process that you follow in your portfolio. If you have worked on any project that demanded collaborative efforts of a team, it is better to be specific about your role and don't seek appreciation for a hypothetical job (a job that you haven't done in reality).
It is essential to make your UX portfolio appear precise and concise with accurate details. If you will modify the list of your projects by keeping the person who is going to review your folio in mind, you can generate a good impression on the observer. It is also better to focus on the quality of projects that you have done, instead of increasing the quantity of projects. However, you can show your complete folio when you are asked to do so, otherwise, including only the relevant projects can help you influence the observers.
Considering the fact that employers or recruiters often have a huge pile of portfolios to walk through, practically it is not possible to thoroughly go through each folio. Thus, in order to make your portfolio stand out and impress viewers, you must precisely outline your skills. By taking a few tips into account, you can create a convincing portfolio. Let's have an insight into them.
-Being a UX designer, it would be wise to make your portfolio deliver an impeccable UX that aesthetically epitomizes your skills.
-Less text when used in conjunction with more visual elements can make your folio more effective and efficient.
-Don't forget to include a relevant summary.
-Run user tests on your folio with your family or friends. This will help you analyze whether you are reaching your viewers in an intended fashion or not.
This step can isolate an extraordinary from an ordinary portfolio. Unlike other industries that emphasis over the end product, UI and UX are a little different. It would be more practical to focus on how you have managed to deliver a solution via design, rather than including only your final design. This is so because, the actual skills of a UX designers lie in the way they combat an issue with their design. And, this can be done with a flair by including the case studies.
A case study can be as lengthy or short as you want. However, a valuable case study is one that covers the following key points.
-Problem or Ultimate Goal: Mention the issue that your client was facing or a change that he wants to make.
-Solution to the Problem: Explain the process that you have chosen and the reason that encouraged you to implement it to accomplish the goal.
-Personalization: Mention the efforts that you have taken to deliver a client-specific solution. This includes all the customized features that you have introduced in the project.
-Final Outcome: Once you are done with all the things, show how your solution has helped your client.
By including the best samples that are exceptional and highly impressive can add to the credibility of your UX portfolio. By doing so you can have a little control over your quality work that gets seen. Summarize your previous projects and experience in as short and crisp manner as possible. This will help you grab your viewers' attention and thus portrait your real talent with a flair.
6. Complement Your Portfolio With Essential Nitty-Gritty..
To enhance the potential of your portfolio, make sure that you have complemented it will all the essential elements. You can allow the interested viewers to review your portfolio when they are offline by simply downloading an attached PDF file of the same. In fact, by attaching a resume to your folio, you can include a concise record of your expertise. Moreover, it is also beneficial to have an updated LinkedIn profile.
It has been observed that in order to become compliant with NDAs (Non-Disclosure Agreements), designers often limit their portfolios. However, there is no need to get confused with NDAs. Here are a few tips that can help you share your projects without betraying the trust of your previous clients or employers.
-You can blur the sensitive info while focusing over the point of the image.
-You can also seek permission from your previous client or employer to showcase the work in your portfolio while hiding the crucial details.
-You may choose to recreate it without using any critical elements. For showing duplicates, don't forget to mention that it is a recreation.
-You can even elucidate your project in words, without including any visual element.
You can land the desired job by proficiently designing your UX portfolio. Although it is not an easy pie, adhering to the aforementioned steps can help you go a long way. A remarkable UX portfolio can miraculously help you get your dream job. However, it is imperative to have the relevant competencies for that.
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