Presenting your work can be tough. Whether you’re just getting started in the User Experience field and are getting started, or you’re a 20 year veteran who hasn’t written a case study since before the iPhone was released, case studies can feel like an insurmountable obstacle. Hopefully with these resources you’ll be typing away and walking into a portfolio review with your head held high!
Also, it’s incredibly difficult to google good “UX Case Study” articles because… you know… everyone is titling their website as “Case Study” … so hopefully some of these articles will help you sift through those top organic results!
Read:
Books
Presenting Design Work by Donna Spencer
Excellent, short read about presenting design work. The book is mostly about showing work in the context of a presentation, but all the info is transferable to written reports, walkthroughs of work-in-progress, and even your portfolio! The medium and format may change, but the information and what’s important stays the same.
https://abookapart.com/products/presenting-design-work
Articulating Design Decisions by Tom Greever
A more in-depth look about how to talk about making design decisions. What problems did you focus on, what approaches did you consider, and how did you end up with the result you have today? This book is a great summary of how to prioritize what was important in your project, and how to explain your decisions to someone else in a short and educational way. The audiobook is also great!
https://smile.amazon.com/Articulating-Design-Decisions-Communicate-Stakeholders/dp/1491921560?sa-no-redirect=1
Articles
Portfolio advice from a designer at Shopify
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1467860389174001668.html
Building your design portfolio? Here are 8 things I wish I’d known:
https://medium.com/doing-the-work/it-s-portfolio-season-here-s-8-thing-i-wish-i-d-known-while-designing-mine-4869308540e7
How can I improve my portfolio?
https://www.notion.so/How-can-I-improve-my-portfolio-fde8223bce3b4c1a897e40820fa7e4a8
How to create a compelling design portfolio companies will notice:
https://bootcamp.uxdesign.cc/how-to-create-a-compelling-design-portfolio-companies-will-notice-b0629fe84ca
Watch:
Presenting your projects in a design interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-PoV_sIWos
How to Present a UX Case Study in a Job Interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVZfWfqmRBY
13 Ways Designers Screw Up Client Presentations:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXXKqwrEql4
What hiring managers look for:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVcr59rRNFU
Listen:
Portfolio tips for senior designers
https://designdetails.fm/episodes/oNN6hT1Y
How to talk about a large portfolio project?
https://designdetails.fm/episodes/000b8d58
Design Portfolios with Martijn van den Broeck (Designer at Google)
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/design-portfolios-with-martijn-van-den-broeck-designer/id1016143291?i=1000472060843