Top Questions About Portfolios & How to Tell a Story

1. Lunch + Learn II Portfolio Storytelling
March 30, 2017
Patrick Neeman
Director of Product Design, Apptio
@usabilitycounts
http://www.usabilitycounts.com
Troy Parke
Product Design Manager, Alaska Airlines
@uxhow
http://www.uxhow.com
Top Questions About Portfolios &
How to Tell a Story

2. Your Speakers Today
Troy Parke
Diet Coke
@uxhow
Patrick Neeman
Whiskey
@usabilitycounts

3. Troy Likes…

4. Patrick Likes…

5. UX How

6. Usability Counts

7. Troy - Assoc. UX Design Director - Disney Parks Digital

8. Troy - Product Design Manager - Alaska Airlines

9. Patrick - Director of Product Design - Apptio

10. We Just Did Our Portfolios…

11. What Design Hiring Managers are Saying
“I can't remember any portfolio that stood out from the last 20 UX pros I've
interviewed because they are all the same.”
- Head of User Experience
“These new designers just use some white space parallax template that's clearly
better than their work and shove a hodgepodge of different projects (most of
them freelance) in with no consistency.”
- UX & Creative Director
“I personally want a story that makes them unique and shows how they added
user value, business value, and intent.”
- Some guy with a blog, Twitter feed and a Drinking Game

12. Title Slide
Top Questions About Portfolios

13. Top Questions About Portfolios
- Are Template Sites Acceptable?
- How Many Projects Should I Show?
- Can I Include Student Projects?
- How Should I Display NDA Work?
- What Is on About Me? Does a Résumé Matter?
- What Should I Avoid Doing?
- How Do I Get the Interview?

14. Are Template Sites Acceptable?

15. Are Template Sites Acceptable?
Templates are Fine, But Keep in Mind…
- Can not be better than your work
- Do not look like every other portfolio
- Represents and leverages your brand

16. Are Template Sites Acceptable?
Brand and Personal Style Considerations
- Visual consistency
- How you organize your work
- What and how you write

17. Are Template Sites Acceptable?

18. How Many Projects Should I Show?

19. A Small Handful
- Representative, recent & recognizable
- Leave out print only, NSFW, research only
- I remember the worst piece
How Many Projects Should I Show?

20. How Many Projects Should I Show?
Simon Pan - www.simonpan.com

21. Can I Include Student Projects?

22. It Can’t Look Like Student Work
- Ideally replace with reality ASAP
- Go beyond classroom: ship it
- Collaborate, pro bono or Start Up Weekend
Can I Include Student Projects?

23. LaiYee Lori - www.behance.net/laiyeelori
Can I Include Student Projects?

24. How Should I Display NDA Work?

25. Learn to Talk Around It
- Cultivate mystery…
- Reapply in a different context
- Show problems and ways you solve them
How Should I Display NDA Work?

26. How Should I Display NDA Work?

27. What Is on About Me? Does a Résumé Matter?

28. What Is on About Me?
Bring Personality with the Work
- Photos are fine
- Give your unique context & history
- Consistency with LinkedIn & résumé

29. What Is on About Me?
Stacy H Linn - stacyhlinn.com
Design with a purpose
I come from a diverse background both culturally and professionally,
and having had trainings in engineering, design, and illustration has
provided a unique perspective in creative problem solving.

30. What Is on About Me?
Stacy H Linn - stacyhlinn.com

31. Does a Résumé Matter?
Resume Template - www.usabilitycounts.com/ux-career-guide/
Yes… Just use Patrick’s Template
- Will read it and cover letter
- More about keywords and ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems)
- I prefer looking at LinkedIn first

32. What Should I Avoid Doing?

33. What Everyone Else is Doing
- The exact same group projects
- Making a gallery and not a presentation
- Only showing the end product
What Should I Avoid Doing?

34. What Should I Avoid Doing? Gallery of Screenshots

35. What Should I Do? Present a Case Study

36. How Do I Get the Interview?

37. Tell a Story
- Difference between qualified & amazing
- How your portfolio becomes a showcase
- I will call you or tell others to call you
How Do I Get the Interview?

38. @usabilitycounts @uxhow
How you tell your story
is as important as the story itself

39. @usabilitycounts @uxhow
Storytelling
Tell stories that fit your audience
- Designers
- Developers
- Product Managers

40. @usabilitycounts @uxhow
Storytelling
Tell stories that sell
- Explain visually
- Light and concise
- Keep them engaged

41. @usabilitycounts @uxhow
Tell stories with
awesome ending
- ROI
- Results
- Outcome
Storytelling

42. @usabilitycounts @uxhow
Big Story
Big Fish Unlimited: Netflix for Games
- Problem
- Outcome
- Process
- Involvement
- Final Product
- Press / Awards

43. Challenge

44. Process

45. Results

46. @usabilitycounts @uxhow
Small Story
Bob The Chiropractor
- Problem
- First Version
- Iteration
- Improved Version

47. @usabilitycounts @uxhow

48. @usabilitycounts @uxhow
Results

49. @usabilitycounts @uxhow
Storytelling
Pet Peeves
- Screen shots that are too small to read
- Screen shots without explanation
- Wireframes without any details
- Portfolios with only wireframes and no research
- Over-designed portfolio

50. Lunch + Learn II Portfolio Storytelling
March 30, 2017
Patrick Neeman
Director of Product Design, Apptio
@usabilitycounts
http://www.usabilitycounts.com
Troy Parke
Product Design Manager, Alaska Airlines
@uxhow
http://www.uxhow.com
Thank You!