Examples of the Top 5 UX Designer Portfolios that Went Viral

UX Designers Portfolios are the trophies of a successful UX designer. Every hiring company looks for these UX designer’s portfolios more than the resume of a potential candidate. The skills of solving real-world problems with the help of technology are the essence of a UX designer. 

Some UX Designers Portfolios are so good and popular that they become the benchmark for future UX designers. Let’s see the top 5 UX designer’s portfolios that went viral,

1. Simon Pan 

He is an Australian currently based in San Francisco. He has worked in product design for popular brands like Amazon, Uber, Google, and Barclays. His case studies are extremely detailed, and his design process is very effective. The best example is a bike app he developed for Barclays. His target user search was spot on, and his designs made sure that users of different personality traits are engraved in the design, which will create empathy between the client and his team members. He used the app himself and rode the bike to create trust among the users. 

2. Pendar Yusefi

He is a leading UX designer at “Google Translate.” He is currently living in San Francisco. A population of about 10% in the world uses these products designed by Pendar Yusefi and his team. His UX case studies are very methodical and detailed. His team assumes several reasons for the existence of a particular problem and then does user research to find a fascinating fact that those assumptions are not true in reality. The vast information collected is blended perfectly with images and texts in his designs. Through feedback, he manages to create excellent course corrections in his design development. 

3. Gloria Lo 

She is a self-made UX designer staying in Sydney, Australia. She is a passionate designer who believes in changing the world through her UX designs. Her UX designer’s portfolio has one of the best introductions that every company looks at when they see a portfolio. Her headline describes her favorite hobbies. It expresses her creative side that exudes from her designs. Her portfolio is sleek but manages to convey the right information.

4. Karolis Kosas

He is a product designer at Stripe. He is a co-founder of a free and simple iPhone app called Anchovy. It changes words into beautiful color gradients that can be sent as postcards to anywhere around the world through social media platforms. His portfolio is well designed and aesthetically pleasing, with a lot of details. In his CUJO project, he identified the biggest user problems by chatting with a user during research. His design decisions are primarily based on user research.

5. Alex Lakas

He is a UX designer from Washington DC. He mainly focuses on B2B products. He has worked on Google Maps, e-Commerce, and gaming projects. He emphasizes user-centric design. He clearly defines design constraints on existing products and how user research solved them. One of his best projects is ‘Google Live Popular Times,’ where he mentions the user issues and fixes them using extensive user research.  

Pointers for creating an effective UX Designer’s Portfolio 

1. Too much information spoils the portfolio: Don’t fill the portfolio with every detail of your projects that will be difficult for the hiring team to evaluate entirely. Use simple descriptions with more visual details. 

2. Previous project details: At least 3 past project specifics should be present in the portfolio.   Only the best work has to be mentioned to get positive vibes from the hiring team. The point is to sell your story effectively with a happy ending. 

3. The portfolio should highlight decision-making ability: Based on the details provided in the portfolio, an experienced recruiter will identify the flaws and decision-making ability. The portfolio should mention the problems encountered and how you have managed to solve them. The designer should explain the problem solving through prototypes, sketches, and wireframes.

4. Taking care of Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). This is a tricky one. The UX designer has to carefully manage and plan the revelation of important details of the past projects without jeopardizing the NDA. More focus should be on the individual contributions rather than the company’s involvement.

5. Creating your own UX designer’s portfolio If a UX designer has his website filled with independent creative projects, it lends a significant boost to the portfolio, creating a very good impression on the recruiter’s mind. A catchy website name with an excellent introduction and compact project details will help a lot. Instead of sending tons of documents, just sending your website link will do the trick.

6. Include testimonials from your Ex-team members and clients: A good bunch of testimonials from your Ex-team members and clients will create more mileage for your portfolio and create a great impression on your recruiter. 

7. Include analytical reports: Some recruiters like to see the technical details collected in past projects, including user research reports, user flow and journey maps, wireframes, prototypes, and testing reports which will give the recruiter the confidence that you pay attention to detail. 

“A great UX designer’s Portfolio will be a designer’s USP to launch his career.”