The UX Portfolio: An Action-Oriented Presentation to Get You Past “Portfolio Creator’s Block”

This is a talk I gave at User Focus 2014 in Washington, DC.

Maybe you’re looking for a new job or trying to transition to a UX career, but creating a UX portfolio is holding you back. Much of the UX work we do (research, sketching, etc.) isn’t always evident in the finished product. It’s a struggle to figure out how to show your abilities to conduct/create UX activities/deliverables. In this presentation, we’ll help you get past this “block;” identify what to include and what you’re missing; show available resources; and teach how to be marketed as a UXer.

Transcript

1. The UX Portfolio Michelle T. Chin | @soysaucechin Lead Product Designer, Citrix October 17, 2014 An Action-Oriented Presentation to Get You Past “Portfolio Creator’s Block”
2. © 2014 Citrix. Hello! 2 A little about this talk, me, and you.
3. © 2014 Citrix. 10 Step Program 3 with action items!
4. © 2014 Citrix. 1. Let it go! 4
5. © 2014 Citrix. “” “I will not get attached to my work.” 5 You, 2014
6. © 2014 Citrix. 2. You are what you present. 6
7. © 2014 Citrix. Developer or UX’er? 7
8. © 2014 Citrix. Designer or UX’er? 8
9. © 2014 Citrix. Wireframer or UX’er? 9
10. © 2014 Citrix. What’s different? 10 UX portfolios show process.
11. © 2014 Citrix. UX’er Portfolio 11
12. © 2014 Citrix. 3. Determine your goal. 12
13. © 2014 Citrix. Action Items: 13 What kind of work do you want to do? Where do you want to work? Anything else? 3. Determine your goal.
14. © 2014 Citrix. 4. Inventory your work. What are you going to put in your portfolio? 14
15. © 2014 Citrix. Projects from Start to Finish Include projects that you’ve worked on throughout the entire process. 15
16. © 2014 Citrix. Work that Involved the UX Process Focus groups, card sorts, task flow models, wireframes, and more! 16
17. © 2014 Citrix. Work that Involved the UX Process Focus groups, card sorts, task flow models, wireframes, and more! 17
18. © 2014 Citrix. Action Items: 18 List at least 5 projects relevant to your goal and the UX activities within them. • Include ones with hidden relevance! • What’s your story behind these projects? Do you have the artifacts? 4. Inventory your work.
19. © 2014 Citrix. 5. Fill in the gaps. 19
20. © 2014 Citrix. What about the missing artifacts? 20 Recreate them • (Don’t lie - it’s bad and you’ll be figured out.) What if you don’t have any projects? • Make it up. (Not lying here either.)
21. © 2014 Citrix. “” “There’s no shame in taking the time to practice your UX skills and demonstrating a great job.” 21 HR Recruiter, 2014
22. © 2014 Citrix. How do I “make up” projects? 1. Pick a problem to fix. 22
23. © 2014 Citrix. How do I “make up” projects? 2. Create a project - app, site, etc. 23 [Insert million dollar app idea here.]
24. © 2014 Citrix. What if you’re missing the skills? 24 Give yourself a project that allows you to practice the skills.
25. © 2014 Citrix. Action Items: 25 List the artifacts and skills you’re missing. • Recreate those missing artifacts. • Make up projects to earn those skills and artifacts. 5. Fill in the gaps.
26. © 2014 Citrix. 6. Architect your portfolio. How are you going to organize this work? 26
27. © 2014 Citrix. How will your organize this work? 27 You can organize it by: • The project’s lifecycle (e.g., start to finish) • Topic (e.g., mobile, user research, etc.) Decide what’s best for you and your content, but have a method.
28. © 2014 Citrix. 7. Design it well. You’re trying to meet your goal. 28
29. © 2014 Citrix. What do you include? Show visuals of the process. 29
30. © 2014 Citrix. Secret Stuff What about the stuff I can’t show? 30 Blur out identifying information. Password protect your work. Use your discretion!
31. © 2014 Citrix. Explain your work. 31 Your portfolio should talk about the: • Problem • Process • Challenges • Solutions
32. © 2014 Citrix. Tell a story. 32 — Intro — Architecture / storyboarding — Prototype development — Usability testing — Iteration
33. © 2014 Citrix. Be unique! Show unique activities, challenges, or really cool stuff! 33
34. © 2014 Citrix. Show your BEST work. 34 If in doubt, leave it out.
35. © 2014 Citrix. Less is more. You have 10 seconds to make an impression. 35 Think about this: • The first person to see your portfolio might not be a UXer. • Your resume is one of many resumes being viewed.
36. © 2014 Citrix. How much is too much? You have 10 seconds to make an impression. 36
37. © 2014 Citrix. Action Items: 37 Show visuals of the process. Tell a story. Include unique work! Include less - show highlights. Show your BEST work. 7. Design it well.
38. © 2014 Citrix. 8. Develop it right. 38
39. © 2014 Citrix. What tool can you use? 39
40. © 2014 Citrix. 40
41. © 2014 Citrix. Action Items: 41 Pick a method of development. • Know your capabilities and timeframe • Something easy for you to maintain Hire (barter or feed) someone. 8. Develop it right.
42. © 2014 Citrix. 9. Test… always. 42
43. © 2014 Citrix. Action Items: 43 Ask yourself, “Does this portray me?” Ask for feedback; take the feedback. Don’t forget to thank them! 9. Test… always.
44. © 2014 Citrix. 10. Iterate - early and often! Do this throughout the process; expect to throw things out. 44
45. © 2014 Citrix. Pro Tips Go one step beyond, because it’s worth it. 45
46. © 2014 Citrix. Stylize your content. 46 Make it look good.
47. © 2014 Citrix. Frame Your Work 47
48. © 2014 Citrix. Take pics of everything! 48 UX portfolios show process.
49. © 2014 Citrix. 49
50. © 2014 Citrix. Get a URL 50
51. © 2014 Citrix. URL Examples 51 Avoid: Lengthy URLS • bluedalek.wix.com/portfolio • student.umd.edu/~bluedalek • michelletchinUXdesigner.com Try: Shorter, memorable URLs: • simplebits.com • edmundyu.com • michelletchin.net
52. © 2014 Citrix. Maintain your portfolio! 52 You’ve come along way, let’s avoid having to do this again…
53. © 2014 Citrix. Confidential. Thanks! 53 Michelle T. Chin | @soysaucechin speakerdeck.com/soysaucechin Work better. Live better.