All you need to know about UX Design – And the best UX Designer Portfolios [2021]

Why did you become a Product Designer/UX Designer?

I decided to become a UX designer when I realized the impact digital products had on our lives. This resulted in my focus shifting from industrial design to user experience.

Are you self-taught or have you attended art school?

I originally studied industrial design. I am self-taught UX, though to practice my skills and acquire more learning, I joined an internship as a UX designer.

When I started to learn about UX, the term was relatively new and there were not many design resources, so it was a fantastic challenge.

Has it been hard to find work? Any tips for women who are just starting?

Right now the demand for creatives is peaking! However, the challenge is working out how you are going to stand out from everyone else.

There are also some roadblocks, as some companies refuse to train and mentor entry-level designers, and opt instead to hire senior designers.

A workaround for this is to break into the freelance area, which is a good move to gain some experience. For anyone wanting to change their career to UX, my tips would be:

• Do not think a design background is necessary; there are benefits in coming from many different disciplines;
• Focus on improving your own design methods; and,
• Look for a ux mentor! Mentors are professionals willing to support your career and provide you with a confidential safe space to grow.

What is your favorite case study in your UX portfolio?

One of my favorite products helped reduce food waste in our main offices – when going to the office was a thing, of course.

Called Foodie, its mission was to leverage technology and design to tackle food waste. We were able to reduce food waste by up to 40% in around eight months!

I was the lead designer and product owner. You can read more about this case study on my portfolio website.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I like to see what’s new in different industries, and what challenges they are facing.

I follow interesting people on Twitter, and get a daily dose of what folks are learning and their work in progress (:

Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to be a Graphic Designer/UX Designer?

Just start small, and accept that it takes time to understand a new field and develop resources to help you succeed.

Why did you become a Graphic Designer/UX Designer?

I was always into tech, psychology, and visual art of any kind, and form – having worked as a photographer and blogger for quite some time.

It was tricky to find proper work that could combine all of my interests. By coincidence,

I came upon a book by J.J.Garrett and I had a sudden realization: this is it! It’s gonna be UI/UX design!  So here I am.

Are you self-taught or have you attended art school?

No, I’m a career-switcher. I have a degree in International Relations and Territorial Studies, no degree in design or related fields.

I’m mostly self-taught, but I finished a four-month course at IT-Academy specializing in UI/UX design and mobile application development.

This course had a huge impact, and I’m incredibly happy that I decided to take it.

It’s also very important to have a mentor, which saves a lot of time and offers professional guidance which is very important when you’re just starting your new career.

Has it been hard to find work? Any tips for women who are just starting?

I’m currently looking for my next opportunity. Wish me luck, especially during this COVID-19 reality.

I would find a good mentor, keep studying and practicing every day – by doing fake projects – read articles and explore other people’s work.

Also, take a UX course, it’s usually a game-changer if you prefer to get places.

It really helps to have your own personal schedule so that you can stay on track. Consistency and dedication are your friends.

What challenges are you experiencing while working?

Personally, sometimes it’s hard to start, but after some quick brainstorming, I can easily go with a flow.

Sometimes it’s “those” clients. I didn’t figure out what to do with them, to be honest, but I’m trying my best.

Also, I’d add some work processes, and working as a team can be challenging if there’s a lack of communication.

However, once everyone is on the same terms things seem to be calm down and go smoothly.

What is your favorite case study in your UX portfolio?

It’s definitely “re:mind”, a mental health support application. I really enjoyed creating this one, and I think it serves a very important role.

You can check the full case study on my portfolio website.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

From everywhere! It can be a movie or cartoon, music, art books, photography, strolling around the city, good chat with friends, or sudden ideas.

I constantly scroll down feeds on various sites such as Dribbble, Behance, or even Instagram. I also find other designer’s work very inspiring.

I’m lucky to be a part of a wonderful and exceptionally talented UX community.

Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to be a Graphic Designer/UX Designer?

Just go for it, though let’s be realistic, it’s also about routine, just like any other work.

You have gotta hustle and improve all the time, overcome challenges and stuff.

But what’s crucial is that if your inner Marie Kondo says “Yes, it sparks joy”, and if creating and developing design itself makes your heart pound and your mind buzz with ideas, you should definitely try it out.

Where can we follow and support you?

My UX design portfolio is on Behance, Instagram, and Dribble.

Why did you become a Graphic Designer/UX Designer?

To create in a way that’s conceptual and functional, and to understand user needs and remove barriers between people, and technology.

Are you self-taught or have you attended art school?

I went to design school but spent several years beforehand working as a graphic designer, photographer, and painter, without receiving any formal art education.

Has it been hard to find work? Any tips for women who are just starting?

Job hunting can be difficult. There are a lot of opportunities out there but it’s hard to know exactly what a company or team are looking for, based on their roadmap, or their team structure.

Here’s what I did when I started out in the US:

• I got my UX portfolio up quickly. It wasn’t perfect. I showed it to anyone willing to see it (not only designers).
  I received feedback and iterated the portfolio many times. I’m still iterating.
• I made sure my resume, cover letter, UX portfolio were all consistent and cohesive since they all reflect on me, as a brand.
• I volunteered at events that excited me and joined slack communities like Hexagon and Latinxs Who Design.
  I naturally met people I connected with, which led to a variety of opportunities from writing articles to work referrals.
• I kept designing in my free time.
  One of my case studies led to the creation of a product I co-founded, designed, managed, and even recruited engineers for.
• I practiced phone interviews, design exercises, and portfolio presentations.
• I asked for feedback before my interview would end, whenever I presented my UX portfolio or exercise.
  I once had a design manager follow up with me after I was turned down for a role. As soon as I incorporated his detailed feedback, I landed three offers.

Remote work (due to the pandemic) has its pros and cons.

It’s easier for me to effectively communicate and build rapport with face to face, as opposed to messaging.

I’ve learned to over-communicate to manage expectations and avoid misunderstandings.

Setting boundaries between work and my personal life. I’ve learned to create routines that make it easier to uphold boundaries.

This means I can show up to work with a fresh and open mind – which always helps with creative thinking.

Imposter syndrome. I don’t think this ever goes away, and I’m not sure if I want it to.

I’ve learned that if I’m too confident or comfortable, I’m usually not being challenged and growing. I remind myself of this whenever I doubt my skills as a designer.

What is your favorite case study in your UX portfolio?

Wings, the product I co-founded. That soon might change though when I launch what I’m currently working on.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

People fascinate me. I’m always curious about the way individuals think, their interests, their motivations, their experiences, their learning.

I think you can learn something from everyone and anyone.

I’m moved by mundane things in life, like the ornate visuals that appear from someone’s tyre tracks in the snow, or combinations of light and color in the subway when you’re riding through a tunnel.

I’m very sensitive to my environment and find a lot of beauty in it.

Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to be a Graphic Designer/UX Designer?

Work on a lot of projects, get comfortable showing your UX design work to others, and receiving feedback as much as possible.

Be persistent, and emotionally resilient, and be patient with yourself.

Where can we follow and support you?

On Twitter and LinkedIn.

Why did you become a Graphic Designer/UX Designer?

I have had a passion for design from an early age.

Are you self-taught or have you attended art school?

Both, I am currently studying at the University of South Wales.

Is it hard to find a UX position? Any tips for women who are just starting?

It was not for me, I was not even looking for work, but was lucky enough and got an offer anyway. My tip is to work hard on yourself, build your network and be proactive when it comes to work opportunities.

What challenges are you experiencing while working?

Work/personal life balance = time management

What is your favorite case study in your UX Design Portfolio?

You can find my favorite case study here.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Behance, Dribbble, and Pinterest.

Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to be a UI Designer/UX Designer?

Do your job with passion, that is how you will achieve the best results 🙂

Where can we follow and support you?

My UX design portfolio and my best case studies are on Behance.

Why did you become a Graphic Designer/UX Designer?

I was always interested in design from a young age.

I wanted to be a fashion designer my whole life but realized I can’t sew and wasn’t willing to learn.

I just wanted to design and draw cool things!

I saw a university course called Information Design and was captivated when I saw all the beautiful work the students had created.

I thought it sounded amazing to make posters, books, and photos for a living.

During my course, we had a few modules on UI/UX design. I found it interesting but difficult.

After graduating, I was headhunted by a company in South Africa specializing in UI/UX design.

It wasn’t my first choice, but lots of my seniors from uni worked there and they told me it was great.

I took the plunge, feeling really scared about the daunting idea of “making an app”. The work was way more fun than I expected, and I fell in love with the user research and design process.

After that, I decided to specialize in UI/UX design rather than my original dream of graphic and publication design.

Now I work at a local startup in Singapore and enjoy every minute of it.

Are you self-taught or have you attended art school?

I received a formal education in Information Design, with the basics of design principles and theory. As for UI/UX design, most of what I learned was on the job.

Has it been hard to find work? Any tips for women who are just starting?

UX is in such high demand these days. Although positions might be difficult in this economy, I believe with a good portfolio and a solid network, it should be easy to find work if you put yourself out there, and talk to as many people in the industry as you can.

Tips to start as a beginner would be to build up your UX portfolio with solid case studies.

Sometimes young designers get caught up in showing beautiful UI screen mockups without explaining their design thinking process.

Hiring managers are interested in knowing what led you to make a certain design decision – so it’s important to flesh that out in your portfolio.

Even having as little as 2 or 3 projects is okay, as long as you go into detail about your research and design thinking process.

It helps to follow UX accounts on Twitter or Instagram, see what they’re up to.

Talk to them, and share your thoughts together. Building a design community is so important for opening up new doors.

Have your UX design portfolio ready, and share it with anyone interested. Be open to learning from everyone.

As for applying for a position, try to cater your UX portfolio and cover letter specifically to the position you’re applying for.

If you want to work in UI/UX, having a portfolio full of acrylic paintings or magazine covers is not going to work.

If you haven’t worked in UX before, doing some online challenges, redesigning a current app, or creating a website from your own concept, can be helpful to start generating content.

When I just started, I felt a sense of impostor syndrome. I was very new to UX design and it was challenging. I made sure to ask my seniors for feedback and tips. I watched a lot of tutorials, and continue to learn.

After a few years, I feel more comfortable articulating my design decisions and design according to best practices with ease.

But now, the challenge is remembering the nature of the industry I’m in! In a startup, things move very fast and you often need to ship a quick, small feature instead of a big, robust, beautiful new design.

Working on small features in increments, studying user behaviors, and iterating continually upon it was hard for me after transitioning from a design consulting agency to a startup.

(At the consulting agency we could spend up to 5 months doing user research. Where I am now, it’s more like 2 days!)

What is your favorite case study in your UX portfolio?

It’s not done yet, but I’m working on a budgeting app with a friend of mine.

It’s my favorite project so far because as a team of two, we can dictate the entire process and learn from each other.

My favorite part of it is building out the style guide in Figma, and learning how my developer friend uses it to build the app on his side.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

It’s fun to browse Dribbble and Behance for cool and polished designs, but these designs are often only aesthetically pleasing and not really functional.

I prefer to focus on how our current users behave and how to improve their experience.

I study user research findings and try to iterate upon that, You could say my inspiration is the people who use our product!

Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to be a UI Designer/UX Designer?

Stay up to date with new tools and trends. Things change so quickly.

It’s helpful to follow design podcasts, attend online conferences, and try out new tools as soon as you can. It’s easy to fall behind if you’re out of the loop.

Where can we follow and support you?

Twitter | Instagram

My UX design portfolio and my best case studies are on Dribble.

Why did you become a Graphic Designer/UX Designer?

I started out designing avatars & banners on Buffy and Charmed message boards back when I was 13 years old.

When social media hit the internet, it blew open so many doors as a designer.

However, being self-taught made me self-conscious (imposter syndrome, much?!) so I decided to add to my skillset and boost my confidence by studying UX Design. The rest is history.

Are you self-taught or have you attended art school?

Self-taught graphic designer. Took an accelerated course at the General Assembly in NYC for UX Design though.

Has it been hard to find work? Any tips for women who are just starting?

Now? Not hard at all.

My biggest tip for womxn just starting out is to focus on solving problems for a very specific group of people until you find a group of folks you enjoy doing design projects for (ie Logos for entrepreneurs, social media for wellness bloggers, etc).

Indulge in passion projects and post them on social media (I’m into cosplay and gaming so I post a lot of that and find clients through that as well!).

Network laterally, too, not just with “higher-ups.”

What challenges are you experiencing while working?

My biggest challenge when working is time and energy management, so I tend to work in slots/chunks of time and designate certain days for certain tasks.

What is your favorite case study in your UX portfolio?

One of my favorite pieces of work is when I designed some apparel pieces for my friend’s unisex streetwear company.

The entire experience was a joy and a blast and then on top of that, the reception was wild. I got to see WWE SmackDown champion Sasha Banks wearing my stuff!

A career highlight!

Where do you get your inspiration from?

My inspiration comes from many sources but I’m obsessed with the patterns & textures found in nature, David Lynch, video games, music, and Miyazaki films.

Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to be a UI Designer/UX Designer?

Don’t get caught up in the technology side of this career path.

Clients don’t care if you make their vision come true through photoshop or a toaster, as long as they feel their vision is being seen, you will forever have a position.

Focus more on developing your tastes, voice, communication skills, and preferences as a designer. These will take you far.

You can find some examples of my work on Instagram and Twitter, and on my portfolio.