Readable PDF

text.
5 MB

Tailor it Make it usable Visual appeal File size

4 Design Tips for Your PDF

UX Design Portfolio
1. Tailor It to the Job Role or Position
• For example, you can tweak your “About me” page to focus on traits that are relevant to the job
role you want to apply for. If you’re applying for a user research role, for instance, highlight your
strengths related to empathy and data analysis.

• You can also tailor which UX case studies to include in your PDF portfolio, depending on what
role you apply for.

• It becomes incredibly powerful when you use a tool you’re familiar with to create your PDF
portfolio. This way, you can make quick edits to create different versions of your PDF portfolio
without breaking a sweat.

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Creative Commons BY-SA license: You are free to edit and redistribute this template, even for commercial use, as long as you give credit to the Interaction Design Foundation. Also, if you remix,
transform, or build upon this template, you must distribute it under the same CC BY-SA license.
[Continued from previous page]

2. Make It Usable!
• Your PDF portfolio needs to be usable, as recruiters will judge you for that. If your PDF portfolio
is difficult to read or use, you will create a bad impression and hurt your chances of getting the
job.

• Make sure text is readable. Remember that recruiters might read your PDF on their (small)
smartphone screens.

• Take note of color contrast. Ensure that your texts and important visuals have enough contrast
to be comfortably seen.

• Check your PDF before you send it—sometimes, your tool might not have exported your
portfolio into a PDF properly. Check if there’s any missing text or images.

3. Make it Visually Pleasing and Consistent

• Your PDF UX portfolio has to look good. Even if you don’t have a background in visual design, it’s
vital to polish things so they give a great first impression.
.
• Use consistent fonts. This is a big one! A different font somewhere will instantly give recruiters
the impression that you’re not a good designer and that you lack attention to detail. .

• Stick to a color theme. This is similar to the guideline above about fonts. Use the same few
colors throughout your PDF to create a consistent visual experience.

• Use PowerPoint or Keynote templates. We recommend Keynote, since templates in Keynote

tend to look more visually polished than those in PowerPoint.

[Continued on next page]

INTERACTION-DESIGN.ORG

Creative Commons BY-SA license: You are free to edit and redistribute this template, even for commercial use, as long as you give credit to the Interaction Design Foundation. Also, if you remix,
transform, or build upon this template, you must distribute it under the same CC BY-SA license.
[Continued from previous page]

4. Watch Your File Size

• If your PDF UX portfolio contains a lot of images, you need to pay attention to its total file size.
Remember that recruiters will download your PDF as an attachment in an email, from the cloud
or from your web server. You don’t want recruiters to have to wait 10 seconds or longer to
download your PDF (especially if they do so on their phone).

• The difference between a PDF that’s 2MB and 5MB can be astounding, when you consider
slower smartphone download speeds. At 3G mobile download speeds, a 5MB file can take a
whopping 10 seconds to load!

• Optimize your images before you insert them in your PDF UX portfolio. Use services such as
TinyPNG to shave off up to 70% of your image’s file size, which can make a huge impact!

Broadband /
File size 3G (mobile) 4G (mobile) Wifi
2MB 4s 1s 0.2s
.
5MB 10s 2.7s 0.4s
.

10MB 20s 5.3s 0.8s

INTERACTION-DESIGN.ORG

Creative Commons BY-SA license: You are free to edit and redistribute this template, even for commercial use, as long as you give credit to the Interaction Design Foundation. Also, if you remix,
transform, or build upon this template, you must distribute it under the same CC BY-SA license.
Do you want to learn more?
Learn how to use this template to your best advantage in our online course How to Create a UX
Portfolio. Sign up for it today and learn how to create and improve your UX portfolio if you haven’t
already started the course.

How to Create a UX Portfolio

Beginner course
Did you know the average UX recruiter spends less than 5 minutes skimming through your UX
portfolio? If you want to join the growing and well-paid field of UX design, not only do you need a UX
portfolio—you’ll need a great UX portfolio that showcases relevant skills and knowledge. Your UX
portfolio will help you get your first job interviews and freelance clients, and it will also force you to
stay relevant in your UX career. In other words, no matter what point you’re at in your UX career,
you’re going to need a UX portfolio that’s in tip-top condition.

So, how do you build an enticing UX portfolio, especially if you’ve got no prior experience in UX
design? Well, that’s exactly what you’ll learn in How to Create a UX Portfolio! You’ll cover everything
so you can start from zero and end up with an incredible UX portfolio. For example, you’ll walk
through the various UX job roles, since you can’t begin to create your portfolio without first
understanding which job role you want to apply for! You’ll receive tips and insights from recruiters
and global UX design leads from SAP, Oracle and Google to give you an edge over your fellow
candidates. You’ll learn how to craft your UX case studies so they’re compelling and relevant, and
you’ll also learn how to engage recruiters through the use of Freytag’s dramatic structure and 8
killer tips to write effectively. To sum it up, if you want to create a UX portfolio and land your first
job in the industry, this is the course for you!

Learn more about this course

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Creative Commons BY-SA license: You are free to edit and redistribute this template, even for commercial use, as long as you give credit to the Interaction Design Foundation. Also, if you remix,
transform, or build upon this template, you must distribute it under the same CC BY-SA license.
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INTERACTION-DESIGN.ORG

Creative Commons BY-SA license: You are free to edit and redistribute this template, even for commercial use, as long as you give credit to the Interaction Design Foundation. Also, if you remix,
transform, or build upon this template, you must distribute it under the same CC BY-SA license.