Looking for measurable outcomes for your UX resume, portfolio, case studies, or interview preparation? If you’re not, you should be! Metrics give you credibility, make your resume highly scannable, and make your work accomplishments quantifiable for a business.
Sometimes, you just don’t know what you don’t know – Maybe you’re starting a career in Product Design and you’re fresh out of school, easing back in after a career break, or had limited mentorship guidance on what matters in the UX field. These are all reasons why you might not have metrics or more tangible achievements in your resume, portfolio or case studies.
First, stop beating yourself up for not knowing or asking clients at the time. Companies keep these metrics heavily guarded. It's insider information and usually on a need-to-know basis for designers. If you’re not on a management team, you’re often kept out of the loop. You may have been marginalized at your company and not privy to your own self-worth (yes, this is worth mentioning). Or – plain and simple–? you were working your butt off, that you didn’t even stop to think about it! But now you know, company metrics – your piece of the pie in a bigger picture– give you power to move up, on, or laterally, in your career.??
Tips to Obtain Metrics Post-Project:
- Go back and test! Still have a working prototype?? Sign up for a user testing platform and get it tested, plan the testing yourself. This is the number one way to get some usability findings if your data is needed especially for case studies and interviewing.?
- Reach out to your past team members. Ask kindly–and while you’re at it-do a check in on their work lives and show genuine interest. Some folks on the team might not want to give you data for their own protection. That’s okay – don’t press it. be respectful and understanding and thank them for taking the time to let you know.?
- Use Generative AI search tools on Google. For companies that already went public with their data, use statistics that they have out there. Company reports, launch videos, article etc. Always verify the AI generated source of info.
- Look through your files. You’ve squirreled away lots of files during your time working for the company, like that initial brief and wrap up meeting maybe, perhaps there’s something in there you can use.?
- Look at the LinkedIn pages of the management team. Project management team, bosses, co-workers. See if their resume makes mention of company statistics you can use.
- Look at the client sites. Website, Linked in and other Social Media pages.? They may have a blog or post where they got bragging rights on work you contributed to.?
- Look at partner company sites that worked with you. Did the project partner with another company like developers or marketing teams? They may have already done a case study and bragged about work they did with measurable metrics. If you use their data, please source the data on your site.?
- Search old work emails. Maybe a client deck was presented with metrics, or an email has testimonials you can use.?
- Check if you still have Intranet access. This is a long shot, but maybe you worked on a product or site that had access to the company’s analytics section. Have they revoked access yet? If it was a smaller company where you wore many hats, maybe they forgot, and you can get to searching up what you need.?
- Don’t forget to show in-direct metrics. Some examples are, “Management chose 2 out of 3 design thinking concepts for the client pitch deck.” Or, “Created 8 high-fidelity mockups from a company UI design system, navigating over 600 responsive components.” Easier to find metrics still give employers context for achievements.???
- Still at an employer, but it's a post-project. This one is for those who happen to be reading this and they still work for an employer, but past-projects have finished. You know what to do. Take a hint from 1 - 10. You’re in a good spot, even though you may be checked out mentally at this point! Go over 1-9, and ask that boss or project manager from a past-project what you need to know, now! Slow down if you’re going too fast at work right now, and think about the long run to gather what you need before your exit.
When You Need Hardcore UX Metrics for a Case Study:
- Show What You Can: If detailed metrics aren't available, focus on describing the testing methods you would have used if resources allowed. Include a plan with chosen methods, participant numbers, testing format (online or in-person), and tools used. This demonstrates your strategic thinking and readiness for future projects.
- Relevance Over Perfection: Even if metrics are limited, highlight relevant projects to showcase your skills. A well-structured narrative about your testing approach can be more valuable than perfect metrics, showing your capability and preparedness.
Give credit and be thankful
Always note the source of found data in your case studies. Don’t use the data, if it looks inaccurate or not from a reputable site, even if it’s showing some impressive numbers, your credibility and reputation needs to stay ironclad for future employers.
When someone does give you permission, be ever so thankful, and be respectful of keeping their data private, if they are keeping it private. Put a password on your site to protect it, and keep it unsearchable. Otherwise, get their written permission to use it.?
Do you have some ideas on where to go back and look for metrics? Let me know. Post it in the comments below!?
