Common Mistakes on Junior UX Portfolios, Part 2

My last article spoke about the importance of your portfolio and five mistakes I commonly see junior UX designers make. This week, I decided I'd continue that trend and call out another four common mistakes I've noticed in junior UX portfolios!

Mistake #1: Not thinking about the overall flow

As mentioned in my last article, your portfolio is your most important UX case study. That is why you should treat it just like any project you work on and think about the architecture of your site.

Why It's a Problem

Start with your homepage or landing page and think about how and where you want your user to go next. Do you want them to go right into your projects or learn more about who you are? There is no “right” answer.?What is important though is that you create the happy paths so that a user when on your site, even if subconscious, can seamlessly move through your portfolio.

One important example of this is when a reader reaches the bottom of one of your case studies. Picture this, you've clicked into a case study and as you scroll through the navigation bar dissolves into the top. In this moment it works since you're more interested in the work on the page and not navigating off of it. But as you keep scrolling and reach the bottom of the page it does not reappear. Now you're left at the bottom of a project having scrolled far down to make it to this spot.?You're only option… scroll all the way up to the top!

Yes, I am exaggerating as in the scheme of things this will take a max of two minutes. But the reason this is important to call out is that you want to make sure your portfolio highlights your skill sets!?In other words, you want to make sure hiring mangers and fellow UX Designers believe you can think systematically and within the larger picture.

What to Do Instead

You have a few options!

1. Have the?navigation reappear?once you reach the bottom of the page (some web builders allow for this)
2. Add a button that takes the reader to the next page you want them to access
3. Include a?footer?that allows you to navigate around your site

Mistake #2: Forgetting the importance of URLs and page title tags

This “mistake” is two fold. I have recently come across more and more portfolios where the designer forgets to change either the URL to their custom one or the page title tag (the writing in the tab bar) to the accurate page, rather than?copy of xyz project.

Why It's a Problem

The reason this is important relates back to item number one in this list. The page titles help remind the person looking at your site that they are not only on your portfolio, but where exactly on the site they are.

The other side of this “mistake” I have noticed is that individuals are customizing the URLs and page title tags, but that they are ones that do not connect your name to the application. For example I recently saw one similar to Coffeelover300. I know you love coffee and the number 300, but unless all your other materials in your application are titled that (which I would not recommend), it becomes hard for a hiring manger to connect the dots of who this portfolio belongs to. In other words, just like with our users of our other UX projects, we do not want to make those reading our case studies think more than they have to!

What to Do Instead

This one is a pretty easy fix. Any time you create a new page on your site, make sure you automatically change the tile and URL of that page too. Oftentimes this information is located in the settings tab of your pages.

For the second part of this "mistake," I would encourage you to think about your personal brand and how you want to be known. Once you have that settled, look for that domain name. The most important piece here is making sure you always stick with that brand name!

Mistake #3: Not standing out by removing your personal brand

After working in the industry for a few years now, I have spent so much time looking at portfolios, I can quickly glance a portfolio and know where it's hosted.

Why it's a Problem

The reason for this is because many times junior designers choose to use the default templates, missing the opportunity to incorporate their personal brand. By ignoring this piece of the process, you are ultimately disadvantaging yourself as you are not allowing your portfolio to stand out.

What to Do Instead

I know not all of you come from design backgrounds, and by no means am I saying you need to! What I am saying is find one color, font, or illustration package that fits your personality or personal brand, and use that to help you stand out.

This not only elevates your portfolio by making it more interesting and aesthetically pleasing to look at, but it also gives you the chance to prove that you understand system design. You can do this by transferring this design style you have created for your portfolio to your cover letters (yes you should write them!), resume, and any other materials you submit to a job application or online.

Mistake #4: Forgetting to make your title obvious

First impressions are extremely important as those looking at your site have very little time to decide if you are right for the job.

Why it's a Problem

A stat I recently heard is that hiring managers and recruiters spend on average 10-90 seconds per portfolio. Clearly this is very little time for them to gauge your experience. That is why it is extremely important for them to be able to see if your experience fits what the role they are looking for within that time frame.

What to Do Instead

Make sure on the landing page of your site that your current or ideal role (if you are just starting out) is obvious enough to be seen within that time frame. This way, Hiring Managers and Recruiters do not have to go through case studies to decipher whether you are a generalist UX/UI Designer or if you are a UX Researcher (to name a few). Our job in the simplest form is to make experiences easy and seamless, so why make someone search for your title?

Portfolios should be designed to each individual Designers' style and preferences. My aim for this article is to help guide those of you who are just starting out with ways to help elevate your portfolios, while still remaining unique. While there are?many ideas of "a correct portfolio," hopefully some of these tips help you in building a better one!

Make Me Think

How do I craft a great portfolio? https://www.toptal.com/designers/ux/ux-portfolio-tips

What steps should I follow to start my portfolio? https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ux-design-portfolios/

Tools & Resources

Examples of portfolios 1: https://webflow.com/blog/ux-designer-portfolio

Examples of portfolios 2: https://designlab.com/blog/10-ux-ui-design-portfolios/

Examples of portfolios 3: https://xd.adobe.com/ideas/career-tips/ux-design-portfolio-examples/