A piece of advice on interaction design portfolios written by an interviewer~
As an interaction recruiter, I'm often asked, "How should I start creating my portfolio? What are the criteria? How can I make it better?" ?
In this post I'll share the advice I often give interviewers.
Is it really necessary to have an interaction design portfolio?Interaction design is an industry where educational background and work experience are less decisive than in other industries, so an interaction design portfolio is probably more important than your resume. Your portfolio acts as a first meeting before HR actually meets you.
The number of interaction vacancies today is increasing every year, but with that comes more interaction designers on the market. So it's not enough to rely on your resume if you want to stand out.
Many companies now know exactly what they want in a new employee compared to 10 years ago, so you need to show them that you can fulfill their needs, and that pretty much determines whether you get passed over at the resume level or get an interview.
In addition to full-time interaction designer roles, there are also positions that are a mix of roles that include interaction design, so this is a great opportunity to show that you've taken on a variety of tasks on a project, such as doing UI design, making strategic decisions or overseeing web development.
Your portfolio is also a window into your personality. In an era where there's more of a focus on hiring people who fit a company's culture, a portfolio is the perfect opportunity to show that you can fit in. It's much harder to convey your personality in a resume, given that about 99 percent of resumes follow the same format.
CareerFoundry?graduate?Sarah Overton?s portfolio
What is the purpose of an interaction design portfolio?I think that a good interaction design portfolio shows, at the very least, that the person has taken the trouble to present themselves in the best possible light, and that they can present their relevant work clearly and aesthetically.
The portfolio should show who you are, what you can do, and what parts of interaction design you are particularly good at. Remember: don't rely on your resume. Statistically, the average recruiter spends only six seconds looking at your resume. They look for four key parts of your resume: your name, current position, previous positions, and educational background.
Resumes are by and large boring, but portfolios need not be.
Your portfolio should demonstrate your cultural fit with the company you are applying to. Don't be afraid to add some personality or your own style to your portfolio. It's a chance to catch the interviewer's eye and make you stand out.
What should be in an interactive portfolio?Depending on your qualifications, the company you want to work for, and the country you live in, you'll have all sorts of content in your portfolio. But no matter what your level, there is one thing you need to do in order to grab HR's attention - show the design process.
It's like when you do a chemistry experiment in middle school chemistry class, you have to detail your hypothesis, the tools you used, who you worked with, what you actually did, and what the end result was. That's exactly what an interaction portfolio should have.
Senior Interaction Designer?Jeff Humble?s Portfolio
For each project, I'd like to see:
What was the problem
Who did you work with
What tools did you use
Exploratory phase (how did you set out to solve the problem? )
Your process for solving the problem: low-fidelity wireframes, prototypes, sketches, user profiles, user paths, and research
The end result (both the results of your work, and the end result after you've gone through the UI designers and developers)
(Use the Inkblade to create wireframes and interaction prototypes, and get links to share the prototypes and export the images, so you can easily organize an Interaction Portfolio)
If someone without any interaction background sees your portfolio, you should present the process in a way that they can understand.
I also like to see "narrative", i.e. "plot development" in interaction portfolios. Between each part of the process, explain why you're moving to the next part of the process - did you run out of time? Do you think your data is statistically significant? This will help HR get inside your head and understand how you approach the problem.
If you haven't done any UI level design, I would recommend that you still show the final high-fidelity prototype of the product in your interaction portfolio (noting that it's not your job description, of course). In my experience, companies want to see how your work translates into the final style of the product.
This is even more important if the company isn't very sophisticated in hiring interaction designers, as they may not be able to visualize for themselves how your interactions translate into the final product.
Showing the company how the interaction translates into the final product can make them realize the importance of having an interaction designer, not just a user-centric UI designer.
If you're looking for a composite position, your portfolio shouldn't only show the visual aspect of your work, which is less "relevant" than other candidates who can show a combination of skills, including user-centered design methods and practices.
Of course, if your best talent is at the visual level, and it's your passion, then maybe you should stick to that, rather than diluting your energy by working as a part-time interaction designer, hosting reluctant user interviews and creating personas.
This article was compiled by The Inkblade from Tom Cotterill's "How To Create". A UX Design Portfolio: Tips From A Senior UX Recruiter