The 30-second answer: The best UX portfolio is the one a busy hiring manager can understand in under a minute, then keep reading. When we reviewed the portfolio of UI/UX designer Radilson Gomes in January 2024, six techniques made his case studies easy to scan: highlighted key phrases, pulled-out numbers, a visual preview up front, plain-language headings, navigation in more than one place, and restrained animation. You can copy all six without his skills or his budget.

We have reviewed thousands of portfolios as design educators, and very few made reading this easy. A note on timing: his site has changed since we wrote this. As of this refresh, his site lists five featured projects (ServiceBell, Basis Theory, Starbucks, fal and Upwork) and describes him as a founding designer at fal. Open it yourself and check which of these techniques he still uses. The techniques matter more than the site, because they work on any portfolio.

Your Case Studies Are Too Long For a Hiring Manager To Read

Nielsen Norman Group surveyed 204 UX professionals who hire designers. Their conclusion: your portfolio should be scannable and free of unnecessary detail, because hiring managers rarely read a portfolio word for word. You can spend weeks on a case study and still have it skimmed in seconds.

So write the short version first. Radilson went further and added a short summary version of each case study, the kind of “too long, didn’t read” recap you see on forums, for readers who will not scroll the full page. Ask yourself one question: if you had 30 seconds to tell a stranger what this project changed, what would you say? Put that at the top of the page.

Highlight the Key Phrases So Skimmers Get the Point

In his intro paragraphs, Radilson set a few key phrases in a stronger color than the surrounding text. A reader who looks only at those phrases still learns what the project is. It works like bolding a few keywords, with a more refined look.

One caution from our review: the lighter gray he used for the de-emphasized text looked too faint. WCAG 2.1 AA asks for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5 to 1 for normal-size text, so check your own gray text with a contrast checker before you copy the effect. Then keep every paragraph short. Copy editing was clearly part of his process, and it shows.

Pull Your Numbers Out of the Paragraph and Make Them Big

Radilson pulled important statistics out of the text and set them in large, bold type in their own sections, scattered through each case study. He also used cards to mark key steps of the design process. Both give a skimmer more than one way to move through the page.

If a result has a number, it should not hide in the middle of a sentence. Try it on your own case study: find the one figure that proves the project worked, and give it its own line in large type. If you have no figure because the project was a practice redesign, do not invent one. Pull out a concrete decision instead, such as “cut checkout from five steps to three.”

Show a Preview of the Finished Design Before Any Details

Each case study opened with a bold title and a couple of screenshots of the most eye-catching parts of the design. Film trailers work the same way: you decide to watch based on a short preview, not a synopsis. Hiring managers decide whether to read on, or save your link for later, in the first screen.

Check yours by scrolling to the top of a case study with the rest of the page covered. Can a stranger tell what you made and why it looks good? If the first screen is a long paragraph or a generic cover image, move your best two screenshots up.

Replace Process Labels With Headings That Say What You Found

Most entry-level portfolios use the same structure: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test. The double diamond, design thinking and similar frameworks are useful in practice, but a section titled “Define” tells the reader nothing about your project. Write what you defined instead. For example, “A new generation of social media users wanted more control over how their data is stored” says more than “Define” ever could.

When we reviewed his site, Radilson did this throughout, with headings like “find local deals and save money” and “boost your sales and get valuable insights.” A good test is whether someone who has never studied design would want to read the next paragraph. Think and write like a journalist. NN/G’s recruiter interviews also note that your first reader is often a recruiter, a product manager or a founder with no design background, so plain headings help you with exactly the people who screen you first.

Put Navigation Where Readers Need It, Not Only at the Top

Radilson used a sticky sidebar navigation on both his portfolio homepage and inside each case study page. His case studies were not especially long, but he still gave readers a way to jump around. He also added a strike-through effect on sections you had already read, so you always knew where you were. A portfolio that is easy to move through shows hiring managers that you can design a good experience, which is the job.

You do not need custom code for this. A short list of section links at the top of each case study, plus a “next project” link at the bottom, gets most of the benefit.

Add Animation Only Where It Helps the Reader Keep Reading

Many sites on design award platforms are beautiful and heavily animated, and that animation can distract from the content. Radilson kept his to mild movement: zooming in and out, a highlight on hover, and smooth autoplay perspective changes. It made the site feel finished without competing with the case study text.

That restraint also tells a hiring manager something about you: you make the extra effort, and you know when to stop. Add one or two small interactions and test them with a friend. If your friend notices the animation before the content, remove it.

AI Tools Can Build a Polished Portfolio, So Polish No Longer Sets You Apart

AI site builders and templates can now produce a clean layout in minutes, and writing tools can fill a case study with generic sentences just as fast, so a polished look no longer proves much. That makes the techniques above more valuable, not less. A heading that says “Define” could belong to any project, while a heading that names a real problem you found can only belong to yours. Specific numbers, real decisions and plain language are the parts a template cannot give you. If you use AI to speed up your writing, edit every heading until it describes your actual project.

Key Takeaways

1. Write a short summary at the top of each case study, because hiring managers rarely read a portfolio word for word.

2. Highlight a few key phrases in each intro, and check that the contrast on any gray text meets the 4.5 to 1 WCAG AA ratio.

3. Pull your best number, or your clearest decision, out of the paragraph and into large type.

4. Open every case study with a title and your best two screenshots before any explanation.

5. Replace process labels like “Define” with headings that describe what you found.

6. Add navigation inside each case study, and keep animation small enough that the content still comes first.

FAQ: Building a Best-in-Class UX Portfolio

How many case studies should a UX portfolio have?

NN/G recommends three to five projects as detailed case studies and says quality beats quantity. Our own guide to building a UI/UX design portfolio and case study covers the structure of each one in detail.

Where can I see more portfolio examples to learn from?

We broke down eight more portfolios, each chosen for a different technique, in 8 UI/UX portfolio examples that land interviews. This post stays with one designer’s case study format.

Can I use these techniques if I have no work experience?

Yes. Scannable structure, plain headings and a visual preview all work on a self-directed project. Start with our guide to building a UI/UX portfolio with no work experience.

Should I copy another designer’s portfolio layout?

Copy the techniques, not the layout. A copied layout with your content in it reads like a template to a hiring manager. Take the idea, such as highlighting key phrases or pulling out numbers, and design it in your own style. Credit the designer if someone asks where you got the idea.

If you can see what a strong portfolio looks like but have trouble building your own case studies from a blank page, we built Portfolio School for career switchers in exactly that spot. It is a dedicated module, starting at $2,100, where a vetted, teaching-first instructor reviews your case study drafts and helps you cut, restructure and rewrite them. If you want a second opinion on your current portfolio first, book a free clarity call and talk to a real human about your fit.