Best Ways To Showcase Process Over Product In Design

Not getting another interview after your portfolio presentation? Maybe this is why 👇 I've sat in many portfolio presentations. I also work with numerous mentees, helping shape their stories. The biggest mistake I always see is not showcasing the why behind your work. Context. So many presentations go like this: - Hi, it me 👋 - Here's my first case - Here is a persona I made - Here is another persona I made - Here is an arbitrary user flow - Here is a sketch I made - Here is a wireframe I made - Here is the final solution - I learned a couple of things Your presentation should be a story, not a simple show and tell. Don't just tell your audience WHAT you did. Tell them WHY you did it. The why connects your thought process to your design. We want to hear what drove your decisions. Paint a vivid picture of the challenges you faced, the insights you stumbled upon, and the brainstorms that led to breakthroughs. What separates you from other designers is how you think and your design decisions. ✅ Frame your failures ✅ Dissect your decisions ✅ Incorporate your successes ✅ Create a beginning, middle, and end ✅ Show the path from initial idea to final Each slide and each statement should reveal a bit more about your thinking process. Details matter. Subtleties matter. They all add up to a powerful narrative. When your presentation is infused with purpose and passion, your work shines. It demonstrates your technical skills and your capacity for critical thinking, problem-solving, and empathetic understanding. And that's what sets you apart. Not just the sheer quality of your work but also the depth of thought put into it. Make them remember what you did and why you did it. Because, in the end, it's the why that truly matters. ------------------------------------- 🔔 Follow: Mollie Cox ♻ Repost to help others 💾 Save it for future use

We all know we're supposed to "show instead of tell." But most design portfolios fail to do this and here's why. 👇 Designers love showcasing their raw work in their portfolios including outputs or deliverables such as: → Sketches → Diagrams → User flows → Wireframes → Sticky notes → Journey maps But to be honest, 90% of the time, I have absolutely no idea what is going on in those images. For example, I'll often come across a screenshot or picture of 25+ sticky notes, but: → They are too zoomed out. → If I zoom in, they're too blurry. → Even if I can seem them, they're too overwhelming. Then I start asking myself questions such as: → Am I supposed to read every sticky note? → What's important about these sticky notes? → Is this worth my time and attention to decipher? This is where storytelling comes in. What if instead of showing a raw zoomed out screenshot of sticky notes, we instead pulled out the key highlights and takeaways? Then we can guide the reader's attention to what's actually important, and optionally include a link to the original raw image afterwards. This creates a far more compelling narrative for our audience (hiring managers and recruiters), and ensures we're showing the right level of detail that is necessary to understand the story. Now to be clear, I'm not saying you should entirely avoid raw images or assets (or even raw Figma files). For example, these can be effective during the interview process because the designer can use their voice to guide their audience through the image. But when it's an online written case study submitted with an application, then you won't be in the room when a hiring manager first sees it. In that moment, your story will need to stand on it's own. It will need to communicate the right level of clarity and detail to compel the hiring manager to offer you an interview. In summary, when we want to "show instead of tell", that doesn't mean slapping a raw screenshot or image in our portfolio. It means reflecting on how we're using our words and images to give context, clarity, and tell an impactful story. Use it effectively to your advantage. What are your thoughts? #ux #design #portfolio #casestudy #storytelling

Want to build a UX portfolio that actually gets you interviews? It starts with a strong case study. I created this simple outline for one of my mentorship clients, but it was too good not to share. If you’re a UX or product designer on the job hunt, this can help you tell your story clearly, show your impact, and stand out from the crowd. Here’s the case study formula I recommend (plus a few tips to make yours even stronger): 🔹 Background/Context: What was the project about? What was your role? Timeline? 👉 Tip: Keep this to 3–4 sentences. Add a visual of the final product. 🔹 The Problem: What problem were you solving, and why did it matter? 👉 Tip: 1–2 clear sentences. Bonus points for "before" screenshots or user quotes. 🔹 Discovery: How did you get up to speed? 👉 Tip: Share your research highlights and key findings. Show evidence of collaboration with your team and stakeholders. 🔹 Design & Iteration: How did you approach the design? 👉 Tip: Include early sketches, whiteboard sessions, and messy Figma explorations — it shows your thought process. 🔹 Testing (+ more iteration): Who did you share your designs with, and what did you learn? 👉 Tip: Summarize the feedback you got and how you incorporated it. 🔹 Impact/Outcomes: What happened because of your work? 👉 Tip: Even if the product didn’t ship, focus on what you learned, how you moved it forward, and what impact you had. A few key reminders: MAKE IT SCANNABLE. Use visuals, headings, and type hierarchy to guide people through. Tell a story. Move through your project step by step so it’s easy to follow. Be selective. You don’t need to show everything you did — just enough to show the problem, your thinking, and the outcome. Hope this helps someone out there polishing their portfolio! If you want the full template (including extra tips), feel free to DM me — happy to share. 🚀 [EDIT:] I'm so glad y'all are loving this! if we're not connected, please include a note in your connection request so I can send the full template your way. Cheers! #uxdesign #productdesign #portfolio #uxcareer

I've reviewed thousands of UX portfolios since 2017, and here's one of the biggest mistakes I see: Your portfolio feels like it's selling the product you worked on. But in reality, your portfolio should be selling the product of YOU. Too many portfolios focus on the end features and shiny design, but they miss the mark by not highlighting the process and decisions that got them there. Here are a few things recruiters and hiring managers really want to see in your UX portfolio ... and hear in interviews 😉 - How you arrived at a decision or solution - How you iterated based on user feedback - What trade-offs you had to make and why - How you navigated challenges or constraints - How you collaborated with cross-functional teams - What you learned and how it informs your future work - Why you chose a specific type of research, method, etc - And honestly, so much more ... but I'll leave it here for now Your portfolio isn’t just a showcase of what you made; it’s a showcase of how you think. Helping UX and Product people create stronger portfolios that equip them to talk about their work in interviews effectively is just one of the "5 Sprints" we do inside Career Strategy Lab's 3-month UX and Product Job Search Accelerator. You can learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gjeyFT8P Feel free to DM me here on LinkedIn if you have questions or use the chat widget on our website. Hope this re-frame about UX portfolios helps you see how you might improve your own portfolio so it meets the needs of your users (aka recruiters and hiring managers) 💜 #ux #uxdesign #productdesign