When beginning to think about my own portfolio I looked at examples from UX designers to see how they have laid out their work.
This portfolio is really clean and interesting design I like the use of colours it makes it a lot more vibrant and effective but the one thing I do not like is their introduction it is a very long introduction that I feel doesn't really add anything more and could have been just simpler.
This portfolio has a very neutral colour base which makes the project results standout, I also like the hierarchy on the first page as there is a lot of writing but it does not feel overwhelming and feels balanced instead. I like the case study tiles they have a lot of clarity with the short explanation without being the entire project.
https://olgarody-portfolio-site.webflow.io/easy-way-project
This portfolio follows a similar layout but takes a different approach with the case studies, they have been displayed without tiles which makes it appear that the case studies are more clear with the result but that you're less aware that you can click on them. I do really like the introduction on this one with the big name and title on short information beneath.
When it came to my projects I chose to over summer go back over the majority to add and improve the results, so when it came into my portfolio I was confident in what I had produced. The case studies were hard to write as I knew they had to be short but provide relevant information. After writing my case studies out I then took them and put them through the CV checker so that it would check for any grammar mistakes and I also sent it to others to check not only for grammar and spelling but that it was understandable, especially from a non-design background.
When it came to designing the portfolio I knew that I wanted a really simple design, I chose to keep the same typefaces from my CV and cover letters to create consistency over all my branding. I wanted the introduction at the top of the page to just be my name and very short information. The case studies below have a very short one-line explanation. Here are some quick sketches of the different layout options I was considering.
I chose to create my portfolio on webflow, I began with a template that had the pages initially created and laid out. As I began adding my own projects and content I started to change the original layout so that I could create reef something that worked for me. I had the titles of each project vertically stacked with a short explanation to create a really effective and simple design.
At times Webflow was very difficult to work with, I had lots of issues with responsiveness and the layouts. When adding in the content I added the images in but they felt very disconnected from the case studies so I then added a stroke to all the images that also matched the styles of buttons I have. For the footer across all the different pages, I added an email link, LinkedIn link, notion link, and a copy of my CV.
https://ulster-my.sharepoint.com/:v:/g/personal/warden-e_ulster_ac_uk/EXNUBGqyHsFHl78uE7Tja5EBPZI1fCMEBaku18UtNVuVtA?nav=eyJyZWZlcnJhbEluZm8iOnsicmVmZXJyYWxBcHAiOiJPbmVEcml2ZUZvckJ1c2luZXNzIiwicmVmZXJyYWxBcHBQbGF0Zm9ybSI6IldlYiIsInJlZmVycmFsTW9kZSI6InZpZXciLCJyZWZlcnJhbFZpZXciOiJNeUZpbGVzTGlua0NvcHkifX0&e=9fVdPT
There is a short video of me going through some of the portfolio.
I find the portfolio a very long project, that took a lot of time and that I had to continuously work on. One of the most time-consuming areas that I didn't think would take so much time was the images as every time I added an image to the portfolio it altered and changed things so multiple resizing had to be done to make it all fit. I am happy with the portfolio I have created it is very simple and straightforward but it didn't have to be this absolutely polished and professional design and if I had tried to do that I probably would never stop working on it. If I were to rework it I would change small things like the back button on each case study I would align it to the right instead so it would be broken up.