How to build a portfolio that will help you get hired. For inspiration, browse product design portfolios or case studies.
Product design is a growing industry with fierce competition. Product Designers are needed now more than ever to help companies create digital products which are easy to use and satisfy customers.
If you’re looking to improve your design skills or join a team, then this is the place for you.
This article will provide you with all the necessary information to help you create a product-based portfolio that will attract hiring managers and get you hired. You’ll find some examples of great product design portfolios that will help you along the way.
Related Read: UI UX Course in Pune
What is the purpose and use of a portfolio for designers?
Your product design portfolio will help you get the job you want.
Think of it as a product. If your portfolio is the product, hiring managers, recruiters, and potential clients are your target audience. As a designer, your job is to convince clients of the value that you can add to their project or business.
Hiring managers will be impressed by a portfolio that demonstrates your ability to solve problems, and dig deep into the process. The most important thing to show is your portfolio. Your portfolio is more important than your cover letter and resume for product design.
Your product design portfolio will show hiring managers that you can solve problems and go deep into the process.
It is more than a collection of digital products that you have designed. Your work is contextualized. It shows you can solve design issues.
You can’t just show screenshots of your finished product.
What employers are looking for
Hiring managers look for a refined design process, which demonstrates expertise and relevant experiences. This can be done by describing how you were involved in each project, and the impact it had.
Case studies that are complete and detailed with a story to tell make up a strong portfolio. These case studies are clearly defined and show the path you took to solve them. These case studies include the obstacles and challenges that you faced along the way and how you overcame them.
Portfolios that are the best will have excellent work. It may be intimidating to those who are new to the world of design. Include only the best of your work. Hiring managers don’t care how many projects or jobs you have done, they are interested in what you do well.
You will be invited to an interview if you show your potential and do your best.
What if I don’t have any product design experience?
When you are just starting out, it’s difficult to overcome the Catch-22 that comes with creating a design portfolio and trying to find jobs. It’s the ultimate chicken and egg conundrum. This is a chicken-and-egg situation. To be hired you need a portfolio, but to build a portfolio you must have work experience.
Not necessarily.
Portfolios are a great tool to showcase your design skills, style, and creativity. This will make you stand out to hiring managers. You can create an impressive resume without real-world experience, even though it can be a valuable asset.
When done correctly, passion projects can reveal much about your willingness and ability to resolve product development problems. You must own your ideas to do these projects well.
Don’t simply add interactions to an app you love and redesign the interface. Reevaluate your strategy. Find out the pain points of people. Test your designs with real users to create something new.
Another way to help is to give back to an organization or community that needs it. Find nonprofits who need your expertise and use your network. Even if you work for free, a beautiful design for a community-minded nonprofit will look great in your portfolio.
Related Read: UI UX Classes in Pune
What should your portfolio include?
Your portfolio should help you land a job. Your portfolio as a product designer should show your expertise and skills in all aspects of product design.
Your portfolio should also reflect what you want to achieve as a designer. If you are interested in creating apps for a specific industry, your portfolio should reflect that.
Your portfolio should reflect your goals.
Some designers think that adding side projects to their portfolio makes them more marketable. It is rare that this happens. You may have a portfolio that shows you’re a talented photographer or graphic designer. However, your product design portfolio must demonstrate your design skills.
The section “About Me”.
You are the beginning of your story. It doesn’t matter if your portfolio is dominated by work. Your story still begins with you. The “about me” section gives readers a sense of your personality and design style. Imagine your project as a story. Connect your passions and your past with the work you’ve done. Keep your focus on this principle and be concise.
Include your contact details here.
- Email Addresses or Contact Form
- Links to your professional networks (Linkedin, Dribbble)
- Any relevant social media handles
Landing pages that are well-designed
They only have a limited amount of time to screen hundreds of applicants. They want to review your work and determine whether you meet the requirements of the job description as quickly as possible. You can do this by using the landing pages of your portfolio.
Only your projects should be included on the landing page. It is important that the projects are organized in a way that gives just enough information about the project to give a sense of context and what you’ve done. It should be simple to use and offer a great user experience.
Product design case studies
In product design, visual design is less important than design thinking. Images without captions reveal little about your ability to strategize, solve problems or think.
As a product designer, you should include a study in every project that you add to your portfolio.
While case studies require more effort, they’re a great tool to show employers your value. This applies to all designers who are involved in the design phase, including interaction and ux designers.
Case studies can be used to take the reader through a project that you worked on. It is a good way to show how you handle design challenges, and how your skills have improved as a designer.
How to design a product from scratch
It’s understandable that creating your portfolio can be stressful, especially for designers at the start of their careers. Portfolios are a great way to showcase your work, but many designers use them as a personal project.
Even though it’s important to be thorough, you shouldn’t stress about the small things. It’s impossible to create a portfolio that is perfect the first time. You should not compare yourself or your portfolio with others.
Here are the steps to creating your own portfolio of product designs.
1. Choose a portfolio building platform
There are many ways to promote your portfolio.
Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly are popular portfolio websites for product designers because they provide affordable web hosting and easy layout tools.
For designers with a solid understanding of HTML and CSS, building a portfolio website yourself is a great option. It is more difficult. The first step is to register a domain name and find a web hosting company. You’ll then create a custom web design and construct your website.
Regardless of the method you choose, make sure that your online portfolio is easily updateable. As you progress in your career, it’s important to update your site with the latest projects.
2. Select your best design projects
Before selecting projects for your Portfolio, take a step back and think about your future career path.
Consider the industries or clients you’d like to work with. Think about what you want to learn in product design, and the types of products you would like in your portfolio within a few short years.
You can add the best projects to your portfolio when you know what you want to do in the future.
No matter what your profession, you want to show off your best work. It doesn’t matter if the work is the most visually appealing, or catches the eye. Concentrate on the challenges and complexity. If a project has helped you grow and changed the way you approach certain design challenges, it’s probably a success.
3. Copy the text
Case studies will make up the majority of what you write. You should not forget that your work is also designed and created by you. The first step is to create an “about me” page.
Write about your passions, what inspires you to be a designer, and what you do. This section is a great place to show off your personality. The project showcase is a good place to show off your work but it’s also a chance to talk about your background.
Finale portfolios may have a more casual tone, but they still need to be professional. Your personality should shine through in your writing.
4. Design your portfolio
Next, you will need to build the portfolio. Designers see it as an opportunity to showcase their creativity and create something unique. But that isn’t always the best approach.
It is better to focus on creating a positive experience for your visitors. Your projects should be easily accessible and navigable. Make it easy for hiring managers to find the information needed to hire you.
Focus on delivering a great user experience to visitors.
It should go without saying that you need to make sure your design is compatible with mobile devices. You are doing yourself no favours if a hiring manager opens your portfolio using a smartphone and finds it difficult to navigate.
5. Test your results
Theoretically, portfolios are straightforward and simple. Designers must treat digital experiences, even simple projects, with the same care as any other product. Test it with real people.
You can ask a mentor or someone in the design industry that you know for feedback on your portfolio. It’s even better if someone you know is a hiring manager. They know what works because they have seen many portfolios.
Even if you don’t know anyone, you can ask for a review of your portfolio. You’d be surprised at how many people are willing to help a young graphic designer. They have all been in your position at some point.
Related Read: UI UX Training in Pune
How to write a great product design case study
A portfolio must include case studies. Design can be difficult to quantify, especially if it is not something you do very often. Create a case-study to demonstrate the value of your design.
Five essential elements should be included in every product design case:
- The first part of a story is the summary. The context and problem statement for the project must be defined. What kind of project is this? What was its purpose? What was the purpose? You worked directly with an art director or product manager? Start your story by answering these questions.
- Use user research to show your ability to collect qualitative data and then create creative design solutions.
- Design Approach: Discuss how you refined your designs and tested them to solve real user problems and translate human-centered design into business goals.
- The final part of your presentation will be a summary of the lessons learned. You can summarize your challenges or describe how you improved the design process. Include success stories or testimonials about the project. You can demonstrate how the project made you a more well-rounded designer.
Your portfolio is an ongoing project
Just like product design, your portfolio is an ongoing project. If you’re new to product design or design in general, building a portfolio can seem daunting. You should view your portfolio as a first step on the road to a successful career in design. As you gain experience, refine your style and discover the work that excites you, you’ll attract employers and people you want to work with. Best of luck!