A UX/UI designer's portfolio is judged on process as much as on polish. Each case study should show the problem, the research and sketches that shaped your decisions, the final screens and the measured result. Reviewers want to see how you got to the design, not only how it looks.
For: UX and UI designers who need to show research, iteration and final screens in one readable deck
Include the work that led to the final screens: interview notes, journey maps, sketches, wireframes and usability test findings. One or two images per stage is enough, as long as each one explains a decision. A reviewer who sees only final mockups cannot tell whether the design came from research or from taste. Pick the artefacts that changed the direction of the project.
A portfolio is often read without you in the room, so every screen needs a short caption that says what it shows and why it matters. Point out the change, such as 'Moved the primary action above the fold after 4 of 6 testers missed it'. Captions also help reviewers who skim, because they can follow the story through the images alone. Keep them to one line and place them close to the image.
Finish each case with what changed after launch: task success, completion time, conversion, support tickets or satisfaction scores. If the project was never launched, report usability test results such as error rates or time on task. State your role and the team size, since most product design is shared with researchers, PMs and engineers. A clear number and a clear role make the case easy to discuss in an interview.
BeforeRedesigned the onboarding screens with a clean, modern look.
AfterRebuilt onboarding from 7 screens to 4 after testing with 8 new users, raising sign-up completion from 52% to 71%.
Aesthetic words describe taste; the research, the change and the result describe design skill.
BeforeConducted user research and created personas.
AfterRan 10 interviews and a 300-response survey, turning 3 key findings into the navigation changes shown on the next slide.
Research only matters when it leads to a decision, so connect the method to what it changed.
BeforeMade a design system for the product.
AfterBuilt a component library of 46 components with the front-end team, cutting new screen build time by about 30%.
The scale, the partner team and the time saved show the system's value, not just its existence.
They can fill a gap, especially early in a career, but label them clearly as self-initiated. Give them the same structure as client work: a real problem, research, iterations and a way you checked the result, such as a usability test with 5 people.
Four to eight slides per case is a practical range. Cover the problem, research, key decisions, final screens and results, and cut anything that repeats. Two or three strong cases are more convincing than six thin ones.
Many applicants keep both. A web portfolio or prototype link lets the reviewer try the interaction, while a PDF is easy to attach and archive. When the posting asks for a file, send a PDF and add the link on the cover or contact slide.
The button opens a portfolio filled with this example in the editor. You need to sign in; change the text, images and layout of every slide freely and download it as PDF or PPTX. Drop your own work onto the image spots.
Start with this example ↗