1. Emphasize Product Thinking and Craftsmanship

Your portfolio should immediately communicate that you are a strong product thinker with polished designs. Candidates who advance to the next stage typically excel in product thinking, interaction design, and visual aesthetics, among other competencies.

When reviewing a portfolio project, here are some key areas I focus on as an interviewer:

Product Thinking - What human problem are you addressing? - How do you validate that it's a real issue (i.e., what research or data supports it)? - Why is this important to the business? What metrics or outcomes might it influence? - What were the actual results of your efforts? - Was it successful? Did you meet or surpass the business objectives? If not, why? - In hindsight, what would you change about your approach?

Visual Design - Did you adhere to existing pattern libraries or guidelines, or did you innovate? Why? - How did your choices in color, typography, and other design elements contribute to solving the identified problem? - Can you explain the rationale behind your design decisions, both major and minor?

Interaction Design - What was the toughest challenge you faced in interaction design? - How many iterations did you undergo? What led you to your final choice? - Can you provide an example of simplifying a complex interaction over time? - How do you use design to guide users toward intended outcomes? - Did you prototype the user flow, incorporating motion design for a quality experience?

This is a lot to address, and including all of it would make for a lengthy portfolio. Focus on what’s most crucial for your online presence, and ensure you're prepared to elaborate on these points during in-person discussions.

Recommendations: 1. To streamline your portfolio, concentrate on product thinking, visual design, and interaction design. 2. If you wish to showcase your interaction design capabilities, include prototypes featuring micro-interactions and animations to demonstrate your attention to detail.

2. Be Interactive, Not Static

Prototyping has evolved from being an optional bonus to a necessity. There are two primary types: clickable static mocks created with tools like InVision, and dynamic animations crafted with platforms like Origami or Framer. While static mocks are useful, I prefer to see rich, animated prototypes to gauge craftsmanship.

Whenever possible, include demos of the app or website in action. On a scale from sketches to production apps, lean toward the latter.

Recommendations: 1. Familiarize yourself with tools such as Origami, Framer, or Principle if you haven't already. 2. For inspiration, browse Dribbble, where designers frequently share innovative motion design concepts. 3. Include a prototype with each project in your portfolio.

3. Select Projects Carefully

Your portfolio does not need to feature over 20 projects; in fact, it should have fewer. Choose three to five projects that present you as a versatile product designer, with each highlighting a different aspect of your expertise.

For an in-person portfolio review, where time is limited, structure your presentation as follows:

Project 1 (15 minutes) This should be a substantial project that showcases your versatility. You worked alongside the product manager to shape the strategy, developed frameworks for addressing the problem, and played a significant role in the entire design process leading to a launch.

Project 2 (7 minutes) Select a smaller project or focus on a specific part of a larger one. Rather than detailing every contribution, emphasize one aspect, such as exciting visual design explorations or innovative motion design interactions.

Project 3 (2 minutes) Present a single slide featuring a prototype—this is your moment to make an impact. For example: "Oh, and just before the deadline, we created a companion Apple Watch app that garnered 30,000 downloads, contributing to a 3% increase in our business goal."

Given the usual delays and the time needed for questions, this format allows you to fit everything into a 30-minute window.

Recommendations: 1. Limit the number of projects in your portfolio to three to five, ensuring each highlights a distinct aspect of your design skills. 2. In in-person reviews, dedicate more time to one project, less to another, and only a minute or two for the last.

4. Avoid Overemphasizing Your Process

This advice may be contentious, but hear me out. After conducting hundreds of interviews, I've noticed that candidates often spend too much time discussing their process, sometimes devoting half of their time to it at the expense of more significant points.

Many portfolios feature images of sticky notes, napkin sketches, and diagrams outlining familiar design processes. While these practices are essential, discussing them excessively wastes valuable time. Remember, an excellent process does not guarantee exceptional design.

Recommendations: 1. In your online portfolio, limit your process description to one sentence. 2. Provide more detail about your process only if it is unique or crucial to the project's success.

5. Craft a Narrative, Not an Outline

The goal of an online portfolio is to pique the interest of recruiters or hiring managers enough to warrant an in-person conversation. A review of various portfolios revealed that the average project description exceeds 1,300 words.

However, length isn’t the only issue; many portfolios follow a predictable format that reads like an outline rather than a compelling narrative. Typical sections include:

• Project Overview: Design Challenge, My Role, Problem (People and Business)
• Design Process: Competitive Analysis, Heuristic Review, User Research, User Personas, User Stories, Affinity Diagramming, Usability Testing
• Solution: Sketches, Flow Diagrams, Wireframes, Design Specs, Prototype
• Outcome: Metrics, Retrospective / What I Learned

This format can explain the long project descriptions, but hiring managers sift through numerous portfolios weekly. Consider how much effort you put into documenting your process and outcomes, only to find that few read it in its entirety.

Instead, focus on telling a story that highlights the most engaging and impactful aspects of your project. Capture the reviewer’s attention with a concise summary that includes the problem, solution, and outcome, along with a prototype. Given the limited space, a “learn more” link can be included, although it’s likely the hiring manager won’t click it.

In essence, narrate a cohesive story with a clear beginning, middle, and end—one that intrigues and excites people about learning more about you.

Recommendations: 1. Challenge yourself to condense your project descriptions. Can you bring it down to 500, 200, or even 100 words? 2. Consider how you would explain your project to someone outside the design or tech field, or even a child. This perspective will likely lead to a more narrative style. 3. Aim to present key points “above the fold,” or at least before the reader might lose interest. 4. Tell the story of each project using just four elements: problem, solution, prototype, and outcome.

Above All, Be Authentic

While much of this advice is generalized and may not apply to every situation, it reflects the insights I've gathered over time.

Keep in mind to approach these suggestions with an open mind and maintain your authentic self. Share your work enthusiastically, and others will be eager to collaborate with you. Feel free to share your thoughts or questions in the comments.