Building a UX Research Portfolio

Lately, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about UX Research portfolios. Why do UX Researchers need one? Which projects should be included? How do you organize the information? Where do you even start? Well, I’m here to answer these questions so let’s dive into it!

Why do you need a UX Research portfolio?

Portfolios haven’t always been needed to apply for UX Research roles. Technically, they still aren’t “required” for most UX Research roles now. Some people even feel like UX Researchers don’t need a portfolio. What I’ll say to that is it’s ultimately each individual’s choice whether they want to create a portfolio or not. And, yes, maybe it is unfair that we need portfolios in the UX field when so many other fields don’t need one. But, in this job market, my stance is to do everything you can to position yourself to stand out as a candidate. When you view recruiters and hiring managers as your users, there are a few things you can do to make their lives easier:

• Craft an elevator pitch to summarize your background

• Create a resume that displays your experience

• Build a portfolio that demonstrates how you think and problem-solve, which is what we’re here to chat about today!

As a UX Research hiring manager, having access to both a candidate’s resume and their portfolio gives me a much clearer picture of who a candidate is and how they think, before we even meet in an interview.

Which projects should be in a UX Research portfolio?

When deciding what projects to include in a UX Research portfolio, I would start off by creating a list of the projects you’ve worked on. If you haven’t ever created a portfolio before, this could be anything you’ve worked on in the last ~3ish years. This will give you a high-level overview of the types of projects you’ve done. You can even start bucketing (or affinity mapping 😅) your projects into categories such as:

• Qualitative vs. quantitative

• Foundational research vs. generative research vs. evaluative research

• Information architecture

• By methodologies used: user interviews, surveys, cognitive walkthrough, contextual inquiry, stakeholder mapping, service blueprints, card sorts, tree tests, etc.

• Rapid research

• And more!

Once you have a categorized list, you can start narrowing down what projects you’d like to highlight in a portfolio. I usually recommend 3-5 portfolio pieces. If you have more than 5, I would try to narrow it down because a hiring manager will spend maybe 10m on your portfolio the first time they look at it so make it easy for them to navigate and get the information they need.

When choosing your final portfolio pieces, I recommend showing diverse projects and methodologies to show the breadth of your capabilities. For example, if you take a look at my portfolio, you’ll see the following (as of May 2024):

• Research-backed user personas for a cybersecurity company

• Information architecture for a security admin console

• Service design and process improvement for a small NASA contractor

• Rapid research (2 mini case studies in one) showcasing quick research efforts that took between 2-4 weeks total

• Management & mentorship - selected examples highlighting my experience in these areas, as well as speaking engagements

How should the information be organized in a UX Research portfolio case study?

There are many different ways of organizing your UX Research portfolio. To get some ideas, I highly recommend checking out Aona Yang’s YouTube video How to Create a UX Research Portfolio. Also, check out the portfolios of some UX Researchers you know/follow (if they have publicly available ones). This will help you finalize a plan for how you want to organize your portfolio case studies!

Taking into account research storytelling and the impact of research, here’s how I organize my portfolio case studies:

1. Project Summary: This can include your role, the high-level objectives, cross-functional partners, timeline, etc.

2. Background: Short but needed context to understand the project

3. Key Insights: 2-4 key insights and recommendations that came out of the research

4. Research Impact: How this research impacts the Business, the Strategy (product strategy, project strategy, etc.), and the Users

5. Methodologies: What methodologies were used during this research study

6. Reflections & Learnings: What did you learn from this project (highlight soft skills, conflicts, etc. here)

And there you go! You’re on your way to building your UX Research portfolio 🙌🎉

Crafting your Perfect Elevator Pitch: A Step-by-Step Guide

Intro

You're in a job interview and your interviewer says, "So, tell me about yourself." How do you normally answer❓ During my job search in 2022 (when I was first pivoting into tech), my mentor helped me develop an elevator pitch. 🛗 Now, it's my turn to share that advice with you!

How to craft your elevator pitch

📝 Let's write your personal elevator pitch in 5-8ish sentences:
1. 🗣️ Intro: Start with a brief introduction of yourself and your role. If you are pivoting, this should be the role you are looking to pivot into. (1 sentence)
2. 🗣️ Education: Mention relevant educational background or qualifications. You can skip this if this doesn't apply to you. You can also switch this with experience if your education is less recent. (1 sentence)
3. 🗣️ Experience: This is where you would highlight your most recent relevant work experiences and achievements, including any role-relevant methodologies and skills. (1-3ish sentences)
4. 🗣️ Other Relevant Methodologies/Skills: Discuss other specific methodologies, skills, or areas of expertise relevant to your role that you haven't mentioned yet. (1-2 sentences)
5. 🗣️ Additional Skillsets: Optionally, transition into any additional skills or experiences that complement your current role. This is especially relevant if you pivoted but have transferrable skills. Always tie it back to the role you're applying to. (1 sentence)

Example of an elevator pitch

🌱 My elevator pitch from 2022:
I’m a UX Researcher with a foundation in Service Design. I have a master’s in UX from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), where I focused on mixed methods UX research. In my current position as a Service Designer & Researcher at a NASA contractor, I have overhauled all corporate processes and procedures by building a scalable infrastructure to support future company growth. Throughout this project, I have employed various UX research methodologies such as journey mapping, user interviews, contextual inquiries, focus groups, user surveys, and usability testing. Prior to pivoting into UX, I had over a decade of experience as a visual designer, which has served me well in my UX career as I can take projects from planning and problem-scoping through generative research to ideation, sketching, and wireframing.

Further thoughts

💡 Use your resume to help you write steps 3 and 4.
💡 The longer your career, the more you *could* add to steps 3 and 4 but try to keep your elevator pitch to ~1-1.5 minutes. There will be plenty of time to get into the nitty gritty throughout a job interview. Your pitch should be a good high-level intro of who you are and your skills.
💡 Practice saying your elevator pitch out loud to make sure it sounds and feels natural!
💡 Use this elevator pitch for the "No-Ask" policy (if you're unfamiliar, learn more: https://lnkd.in/ewrcGTqP).

Outro

As you write your elevator pitch, remember: your story is your superpower. 🦸 I hope this guide helps you as you network and job search!

Psst... You're Networking Wrong

Networking is Not Cold Calling ❌

New UXers are always advised to network, network, network! But many don't know how, especially in a virtual context.

So here's the big secret: Networking is NOT cold calling. ❌

Imagine you're at an in-person conference. You sit next to someone during a panel discussion and they ask a great question. You might lean over and whisper, "Thanks for asking that!" This could lead to you having a longer conversation later, grabbing a coffee, connecting on LinkedIn, and staying in touch.

Now, imagine you're at that same in-person conference. You see someone with a name tag: Sahar, UX Researcher. You walk up to them and say, "Hi, I'm looking for a role in UX Research. Are you available to get a coffee so I can pick your brain?" Maaaybe they'll say yes. But, more likely, it'll be super awkward because it will feel super out of the blue (and even pushy).

This applies to virtual networking, too. "Cold call" messaging someone and asking them for a coffee chat right off the bat can be very hit or miss. For example, I get so many "cold call" requests for coffee chats that I wouldn't have time to do anything else if I said yes to them all! So I generally have to decline and refer them to my ADPList waitlist.

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So, How Should We Be Networking?

Here are a couple of my tips on how you can network successfully in a virtual environment:

1. Read people's LinkedIn bios to get a feel for their interests, even the things that aren't work-related! What is one of their hobbies? Do you like doing that, too? Boom, connection!

2. Adopt a "no-ask" policy: you can message someone, give them your spiel (or elevator pitch), and then NOT ask them for anything in return. Not asking for anything in return can actually make the person you're messaging more willing to connect with you. When I was job hunting, this was how I went about all of my messaging and I ended up meaningfully connecting with a ton of great folks (and was referred to many roles even without asking for that).

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And hey, I get it. It is definitely uncomfortable reaching out to people you don't know. But the truth is that networking isn't about blindly sending out messages. It's about building genuine relationships and creating opportunities for collaboration. You are setting the foundation for a mutually meaningful and enriching professional relationship.

So, get out there and identify shared interests. Find ways to help each other achieve your goals. Offer value and show that you care about the other person's success. When you approach networking with this mindset, it becomes a lot less daunting and a lot more rewarding. So, the next time you're considering reaching out to someone for networking purposes, remember that it's not about making a sales pitch or asking for a favor. It's about building a connection and starting a conversation. And who knows? That connection could lead to an exciting new opportunity down the line.