UX portfolio resources
Your portfolio is what stands between you and an interview. What UK hiring managers look for, from a school whose graduates work at Airbnb, IBM and Knight Frank.
What a UX portfolio needs
Hiring managers aren’t buying polish. They’re buying evidence: spot the problem, research it, decide, iterate.
What gets interviews
- A real problem, named — which users, which blocker, why it mattered
- Evidence of users — research that shaped the work
- Decisions with rationale — what you chose, what you rejected, why
- The iterations — including the ones that failed
What doesn’t
- Polished final mockups on their own
- Eight shallow case studies
- A skipped or compressed research section
- Misrepresented project context
Portfolio platforms compared
Notion
RecommendedFlexible, free and fast to update. Structure case studies exactly as you need.
Webflow
Most controlMost creative control of any platform. Steeper learning curve; custom domains need a paid plan.
Cargo
Design-forwardDesign-first platform popular with visual designers. Subscription-based; a distinctive look.
Adobe Portfolio
Included with Creative CloudFree with an Adobe CC subscription. Simple and clean; less flexible for long-form case studies.
Squarespace
Easiest setupPolished templates, least layout control. Fine temporarily, but hiring managers notice it.
What NOT to use
How to structure a case study
Don’t bury the lead. The most common mistake is opening with a wall of context before the reader understands why it matters. Start with the problem, then walk through the rest in order.
The brief or problem
What were you trying to solve and for whom? What constraints existed? Set the context before anything else — don’t make the reader guess.
Your role
Be specific about what you did versus what the team did. Ambiguity about your contribution is a red flag in a portfolio review.
Research methods used
What methods did you use and why? What did you learn? This is where junior portfolios most often fall short — showing you know how to research is as important as showing you can design.
Key insights
What did the research tell you that shaped your design direction? Don’t bury this — it’s the connective tissue between research and design decisions.
Design decisions
Show what you tried, what you changed after feedback or testing, and why. Iteration is evidence of process — not failure.
Final outcome
What was delivered? If you have a metric — task completion rate, conversion improvement, usability score — include it. If you don’t, describe the qualitative outcome.
What you’d do differently
Optional but powerful. Shows self-awareness and continued growth. Even one sentence here will distinguish you from candidates who treat the portfolio as a trophy cabinet.
Common portfolio mistakes
- Only showing final screens with no process or context
- No outcome metrics or qualitative result for any case study
- Unclear role — no distinction between your work and the team’s
- Password-protecting every case study without a reason (it creates friction for hiring managers)
- Portfolio not mobile-optimised — hiring managers review on phones
Getting feedback on your portfolio
ADPList
Visit →Free 1:1 mentorship with senior designers, many recently on hiring panels.
Design Buddies
Visit →Community of 100,000+ designers with dedicated portfolio feedback channels. Active Slack-based community with structured critique sessions.
UX Academy portfolio reviews
View →Structured portfolio review against the criteria UK hiring managers actually use. Free checklist available.
Dribbble Feedback Fridays
Visit →Weekly Dribbble feedback thread. Better for visual polish than UX case study critique.
Examples and inspiration
The best portfolio reference is real graduate outcomes — not polished agency showcases. These are career-changers who built portfolios from scratch and landed roles.
Named designers, their previous roles, and where they work now. Airbnb, IBM, Knight Frank, BBH London, and more — all from people who changed careers.
An annotated breakdown of the elements that make portfolio case studies compelling to hiring managers.
The most consistently useful editorial source for UX practitioners. Portfolio teardowns, case study writing guides, and career articles worth reading regularly.
Answered directly.
How many case studies do I need in a UX portfolio?
2–4 case studies is the standard expectation for an entry-level UX role in the UK. Quality over quantity: a single deeply documented case study that shows your full process — research, decisions, iteration, outcome — is worth more than five shallow ones showing only final screens. If you have more than four, curate rather than include everything.
Should I use Behance or Dribbble for my UX portfolio?
Neither is ideal for UX case studies. Behance and Dribbble are built around visual presentation — they reward finished screens over documented process. UX hiring managers want to see how you think, not just what you produced. Use Notion, Webflow, or Cargo for case-study depth, and link to those from Behance or Dribbble if you want the wider audience.
Can I use student projects in my UX portfolio?
Yes. Student projects, speculative redesigns, and self-initiated work are all acceptable — provided you frame them honestly. Be clear about the context (course project, personal brief, hypothetical client) and what constraints you were working under. Hiring managers are more bothered by misrepresentation than by a student brief; an honest framing of a well-documented student project is genuinely competitive against weak real-world work.
More resources: UX research resources, or browse the full UX Academy resources hub.