How to Build a Great Product Design Portfolio

In the competitive world of product design, your portfolio is your most powerful tool. It's not just a collection of your work; it's a testament to your skills, creativity, and problem-solving abilities. As a seasoned product designer and mentor for CareerFoundry's UX program, I've learned that creating a standout portfolio is both an art and a science.

This guide will walk you through the process, helping you craft a portfolio that not only showcases your talents but also captures the attention of recruiters and hiring managers.

Why You Need a Great Portfolio

Mike Monteiro, co-founder of Mule Design Studio, aptly describes a portfolio as "the designer's passport." It's your visual history, showcasing where you've been, what you've accomplished, and what you're capable of achieving. This makes it an essential tool not just for demonstrating your work but for differentiating yourself in a crowded market.

But beyond that, here's why a great portfolio is crucial:

• Demonstrate Quality: Your portfolio is a direct reflection of your work quality. It shows potential employers that you can deliver visually appealing, user-friendly designs that drive product success.

• Stand Out in a Competitive Field: As the tech industry grows more competitive, a well-crafted portfolio helps you rise above the crowd.

• Increase Visibility: A public portfolio enhances your findability, attracting recruiters and opening up new career opportunities.

• Meet Industry Standards: In today's job market, a portfolio isn't just recommended—it's required. A high-quality portfolio has become the industry standard.

The rest of this article will guide you through the process of creating a portfolio that not only meets these criteria but exceeds expectations, helping you make a lasting impression in the world of product design.

Follow a Process

Designing your portfolio is much like designing a product; it’s best to follow a structured approach. The Design Thinking process, with its iterative stages, is an excellent framework for this.

Stage 1: Research

Before diving into design, it’s crucial to conduct thorough research. Start by reviewing other product design portfolios. A simple search for “Best product design portfolios” will yield numerous examples. Analyze these portfolios, paying attention to their structure, content, and visual elements. What themes and patterns do you notice? What works well, and what doesn’t?

Once you’ve gathered inspiration, create a Moodboard to organize your findings. Consider which elements you want to incorporate into your portfolio—colors, typography, layout, and more.

I've bookmarked several portfolios that exemplify clean design and compelling storytelling:

• Jonny Czar: Clean and thorough

• Taamannae Taabassum: Playful and comprehensive

• Olivia Troung: Innovative layout and colors

Consider conducting subject matter expert interviews with other product designers or even hiring managers and recruiters. This will help you understand industry expectations and tailor your portfolio accordingly.

During the research phase, it’s natural for ideas to emerge. Resist the urge to start designing immediately. Instead, jot down your ideas in a notebook to revisit later.

Stage 2: Design

With research complete, you’re ready to move into the design phase. Begin by sketching out ideas with paper and pencil—this low-stakes approach allows for rapid ideation.

Next, transition to digital tools like Figma or Sketch to create low-fidelity wireframes of your portfolio. Experiment with different layouts and interactions. Focus on creating a portfolio that feels bespoke, rather than boilerplate.

Once you’ve established a foundational design, consider the look and feel. Use your Moodboard as a reference to explore different styles—colors, typography, and graphic elements. Apply these to your homepage first, and once satisfied, create a style guide to ensure consistency across your entire portfolio.

Finally, share your portfolio with a diverse audience—friends, family, and fellow designers. Gather feedback and experiment with it to refine your design.

Common Product Design Portfolio Structures

Most product design portfolios follow a similar structure. Below are the key components:

Navigation and Information Architecture

Portfolios typically fall into two categories: single-page and multi-page.

Single-page portfolio: All content is on one long page, with navigation links that jump to different sections.

• Pros: Simple, easy to navigate, minimal.

• Cons: Content can be buried, long scrolls.

• Example: https://www.jordangilroy.com

Multi-page portfolio: Different types of content are housed on separate pages.

• Pros: More content above the fold, less information overwhelm.

• Cons: More pages to build and manage, potential for wayfinding issues.

• Example: https://www.igorsokoltsov.com/

Homepage

Your homepage is crucial—it’s the first thing visitors see. Typically, it includes a hero section with a brief bio and a call to action, such as a link to view your work. Keep it clean and engaging, with visual elements that draw in your audience.

Additionally, the homepage often hosts your case studies and projects. Make these easily accessible with clear buttons and high-contrast colors. Many portfolios also feature a contact call to action in the footer.

About

The “About” section, whether on the homepage or a separate page, provides a brief bio. This can include a photo, professional background, resume link, and fun facts (while keeping it professional).

Case Studies and Projects

This is the heart of your portfolio. Later in this guide, I’ll detail how to craft compelling case studies. Generally, this section showcases a few key projects, demonstrating your design thinking and the impact of your work.

Social Links

Including links to your LinkedIn, Dribbble, Behance, or Instagram accounts can give a fuller picture of your skills. However, be cautious—social media can sometimes detract from your professionalism.

Extras

Consider adding a blog, illustrations, fine art, photography, or entrepreneurial side projects to showcase your T-shaped skills.

Case Study Process and Structure

The Goal of a Case Study

The purpose of a case study is more than showing your audience what you built. As Jared Spool emphasizes, “Case studies demonstrate your problem-solving skills. They’re not just about showing the end product; they’re about showing how you got there, the decisions you made, and the impact those decisions had.”

Each case study should tell a compelling story, guiding the reader from problem identification to solution and outcomes in a way that is engaging, nuanced, yet concise.

Process

Start by outlining your case study content in a document editor like Google Docs or Word. Use a bullet list to organize your story—beginning (setting and characters), middle (problem and rising action), and end (solution and impact).

Once your outline is complete, fill it in with concise, context-rich content. Add placeholders for visuals like mock-ups and personas.

Decide whether to present your case studies as a slide deck or a dedicated webpage within your portfolio. Both formats are valid; what matters is how well you tell your story.

Structure

A case study typically has three main sections: project background, problem space, and solution space.

• Project background: Provide a quick overview of the problem, solution, and impact, along with your role and a snapshot of the final deliverable. This section is your elevator pitch for the case study. Pascal Strasche's portfolio does a great job of outlining this in a concise and contextual way.

• Problem space: Detail your discovery activities, including secondary and primary research, problem statement, personas, journey maps, and design principles. Tammy Taabassum's case study shows how to lay this out in an impactful way, even with limited research.

• Solution space: Cover your ideation process, including sketches, wireframes, prototypes, usability testing, iterations, and outcomes. Include any style guides, design systems, and accessibility considerations. Rick Paz does this effectively in his case study on Airbnb Homes.

Remember, a case study should be thorough but not overwhelming. If you have too much content, consider linking to additional documentation or using appendices.

Product Design Portfolio Tools

There are many tools you can use to build a product design portfolio. Below is a matrix of these tools to help you decide which tool to use.

When choosing a tool to build your portfolio, there are a lot of considerations to make, such as your budget, technical skills, how much customizability you want, and industry perception.

The tool you choose to build your portfolio may influence how hiring managers, recruiters, or design teams perceive your familiarity with current tools, technologies, and trends. As John Maeda points out, "The role of the designer is constantly evolving. As technology advances, we must embrace new tools and methodologies while maintaining our core principles of good design. It’s not just about mastering today’s tools, but about staying curious and adaptable to whatever comes next.”

Other Considerations

Responsiveness

Your portfolio should be responsive, ensuring it looks great on all devices. Use tools like BrowserStack or your browser’s inspect tool to test responsiveness.

Accessibility

Ensure your portfolio follows accessibility best practices—sufficient color contrast, keyboard navigation, alt text for images, etc. This not only helps those with accessibility needs but also improves the overall user experience.

SEO Optimization

If you want your portfolio to be discoverable online, follow SEO best practices. Use relevant keywords in page titles and meta descriptions, optimize image sizes, and ensure quick load times.

Update Regularly

Your portfolio should be a living document. Update it regularly with new projects, insights, and learnings to keep it fresh and relevant.

Final Thoughts

Creating a strong portfolio is essential to stand out in the competitive field of product design. By following this guide—conducting thorough research, structuring your portfolio thoughtfully, and maintaining consistency and responsiveness—you'll be well-equipped to showcase your skills effectively and open doors to exciting opportunities in product design.