UX portfolio resources
Your portfolio is the only thing between you and an interview. These are the platforms, structures, and advice that UK hiring managers actually look for — from a school that has placed graduates at Spotify, Adobe, and Google.
Cohort 1 starts 5 September 2026 — limited places available. Book a free masterclass →
What a UX portfolio needs
A UX portfolio needs 2–4 case studies minimum. Two strong, well-documented case studies will beat eight shallow ones. The portfolio’s job is to demonstrate process, not polish — hiring managers are not looking for beautiful mockups; they are looking for evidence that you can identify a problem, research it properly, make defensible design decisions, and iterate.
The structure of each case study matters more than which platform you host it on. Every case study should take the reader from problem to research to design decisions to outcome. Don’t skip or compress the research section — it is the part most career-changers underweight, and the part hiring managers are most interested in.
Real projects are preferable to speculative ones, but a speculative project with an honest framing is perfectly acceptable — especially at the entry level. What matters is that the process is genuine and fully documented.
Portfolio platforms compared
Notion
RecommendedFlexible, free, and fast to update. Works well for case studies because you can structure content exactly as you need it — text, images, embedded prototypes — without fighting a template. Hiring managers are used to seeing Notion portfolios now.
Webflow
Most controlGives you the most creative control of any platform. Steeper learning curve and a paid plan for custom domains, but the results are impressive. Good choice if you want the portfolio itself to demonstrate your attention to craft.
Cargo
Design-forwardA design-first platform popular with visual designers and UX practitioners who want something that looks distinctive. Subscription-based. Strong choice if aesthetics matter to the roles you’re targeting.
Adobe Portfolio
Included with Creative CloudFree if you already pay for Adobe CC. Simple to set up, clean output. Not the most flexible for long-form case studies, but more than adequate for a starting portfolio.
Squarespace
Easiest setupThe simplest option to get something live quickly. Templates are polished but you have the least control over layout. Fine as a temporary solution — but most UX hiring managers will recognise it and it doesn’t signal much about your craft.
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. Book a portfolio review session — most mentors on the platform are actively hiring or have recently been 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 thread on Dribbble for design feedback. More useful for visual polish than for UX case study critique, but worth checking in alongside other channels.
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. Spotify, Adobe, Google, Canva, 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.
“I already understood how products are built, but not always why decisions were made. The course gave me a stronger foundation in design thinking and helped me connect technical skills with user experience.”
Cohort 1 starts 5 September 2026 — limited places available.