How to Build a UX Design Portfolio Website with Notion (for FREE)

The Importance of a UX Design Portfolio

As a UX designer, having a strong online portfolio is crucial for showcasing your skills, experience, and problem-solving abilities to potential employers or clients. Your portfolio is not just a collection of pretty pictures - it's a narrative that demonstrates your design process, your ability to tackle real-world challenges, and your unique approach to user experience.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through the step-by-step process of building your own UX design portfolio website using the powerful and free tool, Notion. By the end of this tutorial, you'll have a professional-looking, fully customizable portfolio that you can use to elevate your personal brand and land your dream design job. You can download it free at this link.

Why Notion for Your UX Portfolio?

Notion is a versatile, all-in-one workspace that allows you to create, organize, and present your UX design portfolio with ease. Unlike traditional website builders, Notion offers a unique and flexible approach to building your online presence. Here are some of the key benefits of using Notion for your UX portfolio:

• Seamless Integration: Notion seamlessly integrates all the necessary components of a UX portfolio, from case studies and project overviews to about pages and contact information.
• Customization: Notion's intuitive interface and powerful customization options allow you to create a portfolio that truly reflects your personal brand and design aesthetic.
• Collaboration: Notion's collaborative features make it easy to share your portfolio with others, gather feedback, and even collaborate on project updates.
• No Coding Required: With Notion, you can build a professional-looking portfolio without any coding knowledge, making it an accessible option for designers of all skill levels.
• Free to Use: Notion offers a free plan that provides all the necessary tools and features to create a stunning UX design portfolio, making it a cost-effective solution for designers on a budget.

Structuring Your UX Design Portfolio

Before we dive into the Notion setup, let's take a moment to consider the overall structure and layout of your UX design portfolio. The way you organize and present your work can have a significant impact on how your portfolio is perceived by potential employers or clients.

For this tutorial, we'll be focusing on the structure that has been chosen to showcase:

1. Statement: A concise, attention-grabbing statement that introduces you and your design expertise.
2. Hero Image: A visually striking hero image that sets the tone for your portfolio.
3. Blurb: A brief overview of your background, current role, and design focus.
4. Social Proof: Showcasing the companies you've worked with or any relevant testimonials.
5. Case Studies: In-depth case studies that demonstrate your design process and problem-solving skills.
6. Contact: A clear call-to-action and contact information for potential employers or clients.
7. Footer: Social media links and other relevant information.

This structure provides a clean, visually appealing layout that allows you to highlight your most important work and personal information. Let's now dive into the Notion setup and bring this portfolio structure to life.

Setting Up Your UX Portfolio in Notion

Watch the video from here

To get started, head over to Notion.so and create a new page for your personal website. You can start by giving it a simple title, such as "Personal Website".

Next, let's begin building out the different sections of your portfolio:

Navigation

In the footer area of your Notion page, create a new page for your navigation menu. This is where you'll add links to your About page, Resume page, and any other important sections of your portfolio.

To create a navigation menu, simply press "Enter" three times to create a divider, then click the "+" or type "/new" to add a new page. Name these pages accordingly, such as "About" and "Resume".

Once you have your navigation pages set up, go back to your main portfolio page and create a toggle list for the navigation section. This will allow you to neatly organize and hide your navigation links until they're needed.

Statement and Hero Image

In the main body of your portfolio page, start by adding your statement. This should be a concise, attention-grabbing introduction that sets the tone for your portfolio. Select the statement text and format it as a Heading 1 (H1) element.

Next, add your hero image. Drag and drop the image onto the page, then use the crop tool to adjust the aspect ratio to fit the layout. Remember to include your email address and location alongside the hero image.

Blurb

Below the hero image, add a blurb that provides a brief overview of your background, current role, and design focus. Format this as a Heading 2 (H2) element, and consider hyperlinking your website or portfolio URL within the blurb.

Social Proof

To showcase the companies you've worked with or any relevant testimonials, create a "Trusted By" section. You can either add this as a simple text block or use a custom-designed asset to make it visually appealing.

Case Studies

The case studies section is the heart of your UX design portfolio, so let's spend some time setting it up properly. In the navigation menu, create a new page called "Case Studies" and set it up as a database.

Within the case studies database, you'll want to create a set of custom properties to capture key information about each project, such as the company, industry, location, role, skills, and duration. You can also add a "Featured Image" property to display a thumbnail for each case study.

Once your case studies database is set up, go back to your main portfolio page and add a "Linked View" of the case studies database. This will allow you to showcase your projects directly on the homepage.

Contact

In the final section of your portfolio, add a clear call-to-action and your contact information. This could be as simple as a formatted email address that users can click to open their email client.

Footer

Finally, in the footer of your portfolio page, add links to your social media profiles, such as LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram. You can easily create these links by selecting the text and clicking the "Link" button.

Using AI to create a case study

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Now that you have the basic structure in place, it's time to start customizing your UX portfolio to make it truly your own.

One of the most powerful features of various AI tools, such as Claude.ai and Chatgpt, can help streamline your content creation process. We are sharing a pre-made prompt structure that you can use to generate case study content automatically, saving you time and effort.

Simply copy the prompt structure provided, head over to Claude.ai or Chatgpt, and paste the prompt. The AI model will then guide you through a series of questions, and based on your responses, it will generate the content for each section of your case study.

This AI-powered approach not only saves you time but also ensures that your case studies are well-structured and compelling. Remember to review and refine the generated content to ensure it aligns with your personal voice and brand.

Publishing Your UX Portfolio with Notion

Watch the video from here

Once you've completed the setup and customization of your UX portfolio in Notion, it's time to publish it as a live website. Notion offers a built-in publishing feature that allows you to turn your Notion page into a fully functional website.

To publish your portfolio, simply click the "Publish" button in the top-right corner of your Notion page. Notion will then generate a unique URL for your website, which you can share with potential employers, clients, or anyone interested in your work.

Additionally, Notion allows you to further customize the appearance of your published website, including changing the color scheme, adding a favicon, and even creating a custom domain. These customization options can help you create a cohesive and professional-looking online presence for your UX design portfolio.

Bonus: Free UX Portfolio Template

As a bonus, we have provided a free Notion template that you can download and use as a starting point for your own UX design portfolio. This template includes the pre-made portfolio structure, AI-generated case study prompts, and all the necessary components to get your portfolio up and running quickly.

To access the free UX portfolio template, simply click the link. You can then make a copy of the template and customize it to fit your specific needs and design preferences.

Additionally, we have also created a more comprehensive UX Managed Notion Template that includes even more features and functionality, such as a project management system for UX professionals. This paid template is perfect for designers who want a more robust and fully-featured portfolio solution.

Conclusion

Building a professional-looking UX design portfolio has never been easier, thanks to the power and flexibility of Notion. By following the step-by-step guide outlined in this article, you can create a stunning, customizable portfolio that showcases your design skills and helps you stand out in the competitive job market.

Remember to take advantage of the free Notion template and the AI-powered case study generation tools to streamline your portfolio creation process. With a little bit of effort and creativity, you'll have a portfolio that truly reflects your unique design style and expertise.

Good luck with your portfolio building journey, and don't hesitate to reach out to me or the Design Hustle community if you have any questions or need further assistance.