Portfolio Review Processes

I’ve reviewed > 400 portfolios this year. Observation #1: The ones that got interviews weren’t the prettiest. They were the clearest. → Clear intent (what roles they’re targeting) → Clear structure (who they helped + what changed) → Clear thinking (how they made decisions) Observation #2: Hiring managers responded best to portfolios that made it easy to scan, not admire. → 3-5 second headlines that told the story → Metrics up top, visuals in the middle, lessons at the end → Less storytelling. More signal. Observation #3: The portfolios that ‘failed’? → Opened with “Hi, I’m Alex and I love solving problems” → Contained 30+ screenshots with no explanation → Didn’t articulate business impact or their role → Had no opinion, no POV, no process If I were applying today? → I’d restructure my case studies to lead with outcomes → I’d add a design philosophy section to show how I think → I’d cut 40% of the fluff and focus on what actually matters → I’d communicate my USP and elevator pitch up front Your portfolio isn’t a gallery. It’s a business case for why you’re worth hiring. ----- Just thought I'd share this after reviewing some notes over the weekend. Hope it helps! ----- #ux #tech #design #ai #business #careers

Why do perfectly designed UX portfolios still get rejected? After reviewing 500+ portfolios, I discovered the real problem... A beautifully polished portfolio ≠ getting an interview. Here’s what often goes wrong (and how to fix it): Problem: A gallery of pretty screens with no story. Fix: Show how you reached those final designs. Walk us through the problem, your process, and your reasoning. Problem: Redesigning WhatsApp or Spotify - again. Fix: Pick a small, real problem around you. Design a solution that shows your thinking and user empathy. Problem: Perfect-looking process with zero iteration. Fix: Share your messy drafts and mid-stage ideas. That’s where your thinking is most visible. Problem: Mixing in logos, posters, or social posts. Fix: Cut the noise. If it’s not UI/UX, remove it. Your portfolio is only as strong as your weakest project (And, it will be judged on the basis of that). Problem: Long blocks of text that nobody wants to read. Fix: Structure your case study for scanning: • Big headings • Callouts for key insights • Screenshots with annotations • Highlighted quotes Remember: You’re not just designing screens, you’re designing a story. Make it readable, relatable, and real.

Why do great designers fail at portfolio reviews? I’ve reviewed hundreds of portfolios — from juniors to seniors, across freelance, studio and corporate designers. And over time, I’ve developed a sharp eye for what makes a portfolio work or not. Here’s how I break it down: ✅ Green Flags: • Your role in the project is clearly explained • Clear structure: intro, challenge, process, outcome • Images support the story, not just decoration • Text is short, focused, and to the point • Design decisions are justified — you show your thinking process • Final outcome is mentioned — launch, metrics, or impact • Mobile and responsive version included where relevant • 2-3 strong, well-structured case studies 🚩 Red Flags: • “I did everything” — but it's unclear what exactly • No context or problem — just “here are my screens” • Opens with a Dribbble-style mockup — that’s all • Overly long or meaningless copy — e.g. “we redesigned it because we wanted to” • Decisions aren’t explained — we don’t know why anything was done • No measurable results — no mention of what happened after the project • No mobile version — even when clearly required by the project • 10+ weak projects — none structured as real case studies How about you? Comment with the biggest green or red flag you’ve spotted. 💚 Heart if your portfolio follows the green flags. 👍 Like if you’ve ever run into a red one.

Tiny details in your portfolio—and what they tell me At UX studio, I’ve hired many designers and reviewed thousands of portfolios over the years. Today, even the smallest details can tell me a lot about who you are as a designer and how you approach your work. Let me show you what I mean: 🚩 You send a portfolio with too many, irrelevant projects—This tells me that you either didn’t do your research on our company, or worse, you don’t know how to prioritize. I’m not looking for quantity; I’m looking for quality and relevance. 👍 You have a domain—When you send over a portfolio with yourname.com, it tells me you take your work and personal brand seriously. It’s a small detail, but it speaks volumes about your professionalism. 🚩 You send a PDF portfolio—My first impression is that you’re not aware of the trends, or you don’t know how to create a website in 2024. (If that’s the case, get started with UXfolio, you’ll see how easy it actually is.) 👍 You mention other people in your team—It says that you’re a team player. In our field, collaboration is key, and working well with others is non-negotiable. 🚩 Your case study process is too polished—If all your projects follow the same textbook-perfect structure, it tells me that you might not have real-world experience. Real projects are messy, collaborative, and complex. 👍 You show iterations—Showing the evolution of your designs, including initial sketches, wireframes, and prototypes tells me that you took many factors into consideration before ending up with a nice, flashy UI. 🚩 Your writing is ambiguous—Unfinished sentences, typos, and grammar mistakes all tell me that you don’t pay attention to details. Communication is a huge part of what we do, and if it’s hard to understand your work, it’s going to be hard to work with you. 👍 Your portfolio has a unique perspective—It tells me you have creativity and passion and you will not end up with generic, uninspired designs. While the red flags in a portfolio make me cautious, I always give candidates a chance to prove my first impression wrong. However, it’s helpful to know what the tiny parts of your portfolio say about you and your work. Anything to add to this list? Let me know in the comments!

Most portfolios get excluded after less than a minute of cursory screening. Not because the work is bad but because it doesn’t speak the right language. I see it happen again and again: Designers pour months into building stunning case studies that don’t seem to land them interviews. Only 1 in 10 portfolios make it past the initial screen. And the work isn’t the problem. When I helped a fintech startup hire their first staff designer, we went through literal dozens of portfolios. Only two candidates got interviews. It wasn’t because they had flashy visuals—it was how they tied their work to tangible outcomes. Think about how a hiring manager actually skims: 0–15s → Homepage scan: “Any business value here?” 15–35s → Work grid: “Do they solve real problems?” 35–55s → First case study: “Where’s the measurable impact?” If they don’t find what they’re looking for by T-minus 56s, then you’re out. This is where most designers get tripped up: → They lead with process instead of problems → They blur their role instead of showing specific contributions → They use design language (“better UX”) instead of business language (“increased retention 34%”) The designers who break through are the most bilingual—able to move easily between user pain points and business results. That’s the difference between being seen as “just another designer” and being someone worth interviewing. So the next time you’re updating your portfolio, try flipping the script: 1️⃣ Frame the business problem before your process. 2️⃣ Make your role crystal clear. 3️⃣ Translate design outcomes into metrics that matter to stakeholders. It’s not about dumbing down your work. It’s about making sure your work actually gets seen. 💡 Want this as a file you can reference later? Drop “PORTFOLIO” in the comments. Remember: Invisible work doesn’t get hired. #uxdesign #uxcareers #designleadership ⸻ 👋🏼 Hi, I’m Dane—your source for UX and career tips. ❤️ Was this helpful? A 👍🏼 would be thuper kewl. 🔄 Share to help others (or for easy access later). ➕ Follow for more like this in your feed every day.

I review a lot of UX portfolios and I'm seeing a specific pattern in hiring. Hiring Managers spend so much time on visual deliverables that the most important parts often get lost—how designers actually think, solve problems, and work with other people. Personally. when I have evaluated UX talent, I look beyond the portfolio for evidence of: • Empathy and user advocacy - Can they push back thoughtfully when business needs conflict with user needs? • Critical thinking - How do they break down complex problems? What questions do they ask? • Communication skills - Can they explain design decisions clearly to different audiences? • Cross-functional collaboration - How do they handle feedback and iteration? • Systems thinking - Do they see connections and consider downstream impacts? Instead of relying only on portfolio reviews, try: • Have candidates walk through their decision-making process, not just showing screens  • Ask about times they had to adapt their approach based on new constraints or feedback • Ask specific questions about past experiences with coworkers. I care a lot about helping people transition into UX careers, but I also want to maintain high standards in our field. A more nuanced interview process helps achieve both. This can also help designers who don't have enough years of experience get roles that fit their skills.  Curious what others look for beyond the portfolio when evaluating UX talent. How can we get more career transitioners in the field? #uxdesign #uxresearch #design #hiring

Want to supercharge your portfolio? Show your role, not just the result. I review a lot of portfolios. The pattern is familiar: gorgeous final images, little context. Five minutes in, I’m still asking the only question that matters in a team environment—what did you actually do? Leaders and teams don’t hire galleries; they hire pros who can demonstrate how to move real projects forward inside real constraints. Show the story of your contribution. For 2–3 flagship projects, narrate the arc—not with a novel, but with clarity: Context: What was the assignment? Who was it for? What problem were you solving? Contribution: Your role and the three responsibilities you owned. Choices: The decisions and trade-offs that shaped the work—and why you chose them. Collaboration: Where you listened, aligned disciplines, unblocked an issue, or elevated someone else’s idea. Outcome: What changed—guest impact, a measurable result, or a before/after insight. Credits: Name the team. Share the win. When you lead with context + contribution and then show the hero image, reviewers can see how you think and collaborate. That’s where trust is built: not just in the polish of the render, but in the way you reasoned through the brief, partnered across disciplines, and made the work better together. And if you're the one creating the amazing image, showcase how you co-created it with the client and communicated with the team. Tell the story of the teammate you are—and your portfolio will help open the right doors.

I’ve reviewed hundreds of UX/UI portfolios These 3 elements are often missing 1. The iterations of your design and the reason for the iterations Don’t hesitate to share the iterations of your design work. And don’t just show the designs, but include explanations for the changes. Was it user feedback? Usability issues? Stakeholder request? Showing before and after images, along with explanations of the changes are great for this. This shows recruiters and hiring managers how you handle feedback and apply it to your work. 2. The impact of the project What was the end result of you completing the project? Include this at the intro of the project. Recruiters and hiring managers like to know the difference your work has made. Re-iterate the impact at the end of the project. It’s also a great idea to show the impact on your home page where you show all your projects. Recruiters and hiring managers want to know the impact you’ve made. Sometimes it’s difficult to measure this, especially if it’s a project from your coursework. At a minimum, share what you would measure to determine the impact of the project. 3. Challenges/Learnings/Takeaways Include a section at the end of your project to share: - what you learned - challenges that occurred and how you overcame them (you can also do this throughout the explanation of your project) - anything you would do differently This helps the recruiter and hiring manager understand your learning aptitude, your growth as a designer, and how you handle setbacks. They know that in the real world there will be setbacks and challenges. Show them you can handle this. What would you add to this list? #uxdesign #designportfolio

I've reviewed thousands of UX portfolios since 2017, and here's one of the biggest mistakes I see: Your portfolio feels like it's selling the product you worked on. But in reality, your portfolio should be selling the product of YOU. Too many portfolios focus on the end features and shiny design, but they miss the mark by not highlighting the process and decisions that got them there. Here are a few things recruiters and hiring managers really want to see in your UX portfolio ... and hear in interviews 😉 - How you arrived at a decision or solution - How you iterated based on user feedback - What trade-offs you had to make and why - How you navigated challenges or constraints - How you collaborated with cross-functional teams - What you learned and how it informs your future work - Why you chose a specific type of research, method, etc - And honestly, so much more ... but I'll leave it here for now Your portfolio isn’t just a showcase of what you made; it’s a showcase of how you think. Helping UX and Product people create stronger portfolios that equip them to talk about their work in interviews effectively is just one of the "5 Sprints" we do inside Career Strategy Lab's 3-month UX and Product Job Search Accelerator. You can learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gjeyFT8P Feel free to DM me here on LinkedIn if you have questions or use the chat widget on our website. Hope this re-frame about UX portfolios helps you see how you might improve your own portfolio so it meets the needs of your users (aka recruiters and hiring managers) 💜 #ux #uxdesign #productdesign