Your UX design portfolio is more than just a collection of your best projects; it’s your very own storefront in the industry of ecommerce and app development. A portfolio showcases your UX design skills and problem-solving prowess while also serving as a powerful lead magnet.
If you’re a freelance UX designer, your UX design portfolio website can be a place to outline your standard service packages and allow potential clients to schedule consultations. This guide will show you what goes into a great UX design portfolio and how to craft your own.
What is a UX design portfolio?
A user experience (UX) design portfolio is an online collection of your best work—like a résumé and a personal website rolled into one. It’s where you show off the best projects and highlight your design skills to prospective employers. A comprehensive UX design portfolio allows you to pair examples of your best UX work with your offered services, associated rates, and an appointment booking app so interested customers can get in touch.
How to create a perfect UX design portfolio
- Include a mix of relevant work
- Add case studies
- Quantify the results of your work
- Present a consistent professional brand
Creating your own UX design portfolio site requires careful planning. The goal is a portfolio demonstrating both your technical proficiency and creative problem-solving.
Here are some essential tips:
Include a mix of relevant work
What types of projects have you worked on? Your UX design portfolio examples should include a mix of project types and work samples from each stage of the UX design process, such as:
Concept sketches
These initial hand-drawn visualizations of ideas and potential solutions can include flow diagrams laying out the steps a user takes to complete a task. It can also include rough page layouts and depictions of user interface (UI) elements like buttons, icons, and menus.
Wireframes
Include low- to mid-fidelity screengrabs or images to visualize the placement of elements like text, images, and buttons, hierarchical navigation structure, form fields, and basic user interactions.
Prototypes
These medium- to high-fidelity representations of a website or app simulate the final user experience.
Prototypes include things like:
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Clickable menus
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Simulated form submissions
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Error messages
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Interactive animations
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Transitions
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Content
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Imagery
Whenever possible, embed the actual interactive prototype directly into your design portfolio with tools like Figma, Adobe XD, and ProtoPie to provide the most authentic experience.
Interactive design concepts
Whereas prototypes simulate the implementation of a concept, this step focuses on the conceptual level—the “why” and “how” behind the strategic decisions you made. Tell your story by showing in-motion graphics and animations, user flows, descriptions, and code snippets.
Final designs
A polished, high-fidelity representation of your final designs might include images, video demos, and interactive embeds on your UX portfolio site.
If you’re just starting your career as a UX designer and lack professional experience, include any projects you worked on while building your skill set—from educational examples to personal projects. Keep in mind: One great example is better than a bunch of mediocre ones.
Add case studies
UX case studies are long-form descriptions of a design project from beginning to end. They demonstrate your process and should take center stage on your portfolio site. Case studies should explain your design philosophy—how you approach aspects of UX like interaction design and information architecture—and how you put UX and UI design principles into practice, including the specific tools you used.
To make this element of your UX design portfolio impactful, be sure to do the following:
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Take a problem-solving approach to each case study. Present the issue and how you tackled it, from UX research and ideation to design and testing.
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Move through the design process step by step, explaining why you chose specific solutions.
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Describe the initial requirements and what your role was. If you were part of a wider team, briefly explain the team structure to demonstrate your collaborative style. If you’re a solo UX designer, outline how you managed the tasks involved in completing the project.
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Spice up the case study with real visual design artifacts like wireframes and prototypes.
Quantify the results of your work
Emphasize the impact of your work by including concrete, measurable outcomes in your UX design portfolio. This can include:
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Data from design projects. Quantify things like conversion rates, increased engagement, and cost savings that demonstrate how your work adds value.
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Usability testing insights. Include qualitative and quantitative data collected from users interacting with a website or app. You might add summarized findings, quotes from users, short video clips of user feedback, graphs and charts, and before-and-after comparisons.
Present a consistent professional brand
As a UX designer, your website itself is a sample of your work and a chance to convey your professional brand and unique personality. The website design should demonstrate your UX expertise. A clean visual hierarchy and intuitive navigation speak volumes about your skills.
Your online portfolio should also include an “About me” section or page to make it abundantly clear who you are and what you do, and your contact information should be easy to find on the homepage.
UX portfolio example
For inspiration, consider Mote, an agency which handles ecommerce web design, development, branding, and more. Mote’s minimalist website serves as an abbreviated portfolio of its work.
It highlights successful projects with illustrative video, stats that highlight client benefits, and copy that explains Mote’s vision and philosophy. It also has an Inquire button prospects can use to reach out for a quote.
UX portfolio FAQ
What makes a UX portfolio good?
UX portfolios should feature design skills, experience, and capabilities. The portfolio website should use a modern design, provide a diverse range of work samples, tell a visual story, and make it easy for prospective clients to contact you.
What do employers look for in a UX portfolio?
Employers want to see portfolios proving a UX designers’ ability to drive tangible results through user-centric design principles. They’re looking for clear evidence of a structured design process, strong problem-solving skills, and measurable improvements in key user metrics.
What is the format for a UX portfolio?
UX designer portfolios are websites that showcase a designer’s skills and experience. A professional portfolio should include case studies, work samples, contact information, and offered services.
