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Bring your "UX work to life" with case studies
Have you ever been told that your UX portfolio lacks depth or experience, even though you know you do?
This might indicate that you need to rework your UX case studies.
Great UX case studies have one thing in common: they tell engaging design stories. And when you take a deeper look at them, you’ll find that these case studies are built on a similar structure.
A structure that reinforces each building block that helps you communicate your ideas, concepts, design decisions, or finished products in one whole story.
A UX case study is a long-form portfolio piece of your best and most relevant UX design projects for the role you’re applying for — it retells the design process of a product in written form, using relevant visual elements such as sketches, wireframes, prototypes, and screens.
Through case studies, recruiters will try to gain insights into your design process and thinking, the methods you use, and your presentation skills (I know… 🥲).
In general, you’d want your case study to have these main points:
- What the project is doing
- Who it is for
- How do you want to make people feel
Most UX professionals spend too much time learning how to make deliverables but not enough on articulating their design decisions.
Make sure your case studies are all meat and bone with no wasted space.
Pack a showcase of your skills, design thinking, and insights — and use your storytelling power to make them compelling.
This framework is part of UX Portfolio Playbook—your full guide to creating an outstanding portfolio and getting noticed.
UX case study basics
Most UX case studies follow this similar formula, with a walkthrough of your design process, and can be broken down into 5 sections:
Overview | Define the scope. Give your audience a high-level project overview and context of the project. The first paragraph should tell the reader what you’re planning to talk about. Don’t ramble. |
Discovery | Show an understanding of the problem, the users (pain points & goals), the proposed next steps, and most importantly, how you got there. |
Solution | This is where you get to blow your reader’s mind. Walk the reader through your ideation and initial concepts to solve the problem. Sketches, user flowers, features, prototypes, whatever you choose to show. |
Iteration | Arguably the most important part of the UX process. Show the reader how your proposed solution performed with users. The aim here is to show that you’re unattached, can rigorously examine, and how you adapted the solution to fit the user. |
Conclusion | Always end your case studies with learnings or takeaways to show an eagerness to learn and grow as a designer. |
Key takeaways
Remember folks, only providing visuals is no longer enough. The number one thing that makes recruiters and hiring managers decide to pass on a portfolio is a lack of explanation or context.
The UX case studies you write serve many purposes. Yes, they will be the foundation of your portfolio, but they also can feed into your resume, LinkedIn, cover letters, and what you say in an interview.
Good luck! 🍀
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