How can you design a portfolio website that is easy to use?

1 Define your goals

Before you start designing your portfolio website, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with it. What is your target audience? What is your unique value proposition? What are the main messages you want to convey? How do you want your visitors to interact with your website? By defining your goals, you can align your design decisions with your purpose and strategy.

2 Choose a simple layout

A simple layout can help your portfolio website look professional, organized, and easy to navigate. Avoid cluttering your website with too many elements, colors, or fonts that might distract or confuse your visitors. Use whitespace, grids, and alignment to create a visual hierarchy and balance. Choose a layout that suits your content and style, and make sure it is responsive and adaptable to different screen sizes and devices.

3 Showcase your best work

Your portfolio website is not a place to dump all your design projects. You need to curate your work and select only the best examples that demonstrate your skills, creativity, and value. Use high-quality images, videos, or animations to present your work in an attractive and clear way. Provide context and details about each project, such as the brief, the process, the challenges, the solutions, and the results. Highlight your role and contribution, and link to any relevant websites, apps, or platforms.

4 Optimize your performance

Your portfolio website should load fast and smoothly, without any errors or glitches. A slow or broken website can frustrate your visitors and damage your reputation. To optimize your performance, you need to compress your images, videos, and other files, use a reliable hosting service, and test your website regularly for any bugs or issues. You can also use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to measure and improve your website speed and performance.

5 Add some personality

Your portfolio website is not only a showcase of your work, but also a reflection of your personality. You want your visitors to get to know you as a designer and a person, and to connect with you on an emotional level. To add some personality to your portfolio website, you can use a friendly and authentic tone of voice, tell your story and values, share your passions and interests, and display your testimonials and awards. You can also use colors, fonts, icons, or illustrations that match your identity and style.

6 Include a clear call to action

The last tip to design a portfolio website that is easy to use is to include a clear call to action on every page. A call to action is a button, link, or text that invites your visitors to take the next step, such as contacting you, hiring you, or following you on social media. A clear call to action can help you convert your visitors into leads, clients, or fans, and increase your chances of success. Make sure your call to action is visible, compelling, and consistent throughout your website.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?