As a junior UX designer, one of the challenges is to present projects in portfolios. When I first started, my work had very standardized framework from research, design to testing. Sometimes, I jumped into the design process and started right away. I was struggled with telling the story. I was thinking: how to present my work showing my logics and making it interesting?

Several things come to my mind. One of the common methods recommended is “STAR”, Situation, Task, Action and Result. Especially in the behavioral interview, the answer needs to be concise and effective. Using STAR method can be efficient and organized:

S: The situation was….

T: The Task I had…

A: The Action I took…

R: Therefore, I achieved…

However, using this framework didn’t really help me tell a fascinating story. I’ve learned, asked and iterated several versions when preparing presentations. I figured out the challenges when turning work into portfolio:

• Project length is short. I didn’t do everything with an approach.
• The scope is big. What is the core concept to present?
• I know the research phase and the details for modification but I join the project in the UI design part

These problems vary depending on each project. Responding to them, I went back to paper and wrote down what I have and what concept or idea I thought about. It’s not only about collecting materials for the story but also helping myself to improvise during every scenario.

Here are the steps I took to enhance my story:

1. Detail All Relevant Events

First, ask yourself what did you do and why. Elaborate on your answers. It is not a yes/no question. Write down all the relevant things you’ve done and your thoughts during the process into bullet points. Try to break down an event. Each bullet points can be very small and short to identify what you have under an event/topic.

Research

• Moodboard
• Look into each website = Heuristic Evaluation
• Searched Companies

2. Scope Your Problem Statement

Next, identify the scope of the project and the problem statement for the project. Sometime, problem statement can be different from the product itself. It depends on the scope of what you want to tell. It may be a portion compared to the overall project especially if you only participate in a short time.

3. Move Details in the Framework

Look at the framework and its detailed bullet points. See whether it can explain the problem statement and tell the story.

The framework should be logical. It’s important to put details into its category. For instance, the UX project work usually has research, findings, design, testing, final work, and conclusion. Keep framework in mind when moving details to fit the categories. For example, instead of presenting chronologically, most of researching methods can be put together under “Research” and all findings that explain your design decision can be moved to “Findings”. At the same time, summarize each section can also help you and your audience keep on track with your story.

4. Practice with Diverse Audiences

Of course. In this step, practice is always necessary. Everyone in UX domain knows.

One thing I want to bring up is finding different audiences to present can help improvisation and figuring out what interests yourself and audiences the most. As someone who are afraid of public speaking, I usually observe how the audience reacts when I tell the project. I modify my story every time to do experiment on my tones, sentences…etc. Sometimes, I feel confident about my adjustments and sometimes, I don’t. However, different audiences can not only practice the presentation, but also help addressing diverse scenarios to shipping the best ideas to others.

Interesting resource here: The 9 Principles of Better Stories

5. Stick to Your Story

Lastly, learn from criticism but be yourself. For me, it was one of the hardest parts. This requires two elements: knowing oneself and knowing what feedback is useful.

Oftentimes, designers look for criticism. We need real feedback so that we know which part needs adjustment. However, design is something very subjective. Two feedbacks can be completely opposite. It can be confusing when making changes. This is the time to know oneself. Know your strength and how you position your role is extremely important. For example, if you have marketing background and are good at using numbers to show impact, what makes your portfolio stand out can be numbers. Even you receive 10 people’s feedback on putting videos and overview on the top of the page, these numbers should be considered.

The last step is hard and tricky. It not only tells the story but also asks myself what is the core idea I want to show audiences. Even if the content is changing, sticking to your story is crucial to present the strength and interesting points for your work.

To sum up, portfolio is the story. During past years, I’ve been learning and improving my storytelling strategy to find a UX work. I started with a standardized framework and gradually changed the methods while taking all different work. I wrote scripts, gathered more feedback, practiced more times but got more nervous. I screwed up several times. After several tries, I realized I need to believe in the story I’m telling. That’s why I took the above steps and looked into my story in details. It is not about presenting a work. It is about telling an interesting and inspiring story that even myself feel motivated. This is how to show one’s passions without direct words!