Portfolio eBook

Copyright © 2021 Salim Dabanca. All rights reserved.

Development Editor
Ezgi Catori

Copy Editor
Amina Afzal
Table of Contents

Introduction 00-12

Finding your path 12-35

Learn to practice

Human-centered design

Design thinking process

Create your first project

Create a case study

Develop your website

Publish your portfolio

Find a job

Start working

This pdf is a free version of Portfolio ebook.

It includes only first 2 chapters.

CHAPTER 01

Introduction

00
Welcome & About the book
Hello, I’m Salim. I’m a self-taught UX / UI Designer. I design websites
& mobile apps for startups to help them launch their products and
increase engagement .

For the last two years I have been sharing UX / UI Design posts on
Instagram and answering design-related questons for free. I took it
upon myself to do this because I have always wanted to help others
within the community.

Now, I want to take it one step further. To create a single yet valuable
guide for new designers. The guide will take you right from the
beginning, to the end when you land your first design role.

Writing a book has been my dream for a long time. Reading books
related to design is how I elevated myself to where I am now. I have
been in the design industry for over 10 years. All my achievements,
mistakes and more importantly, the lessons I learnt will be funneled
into this powerful guide.

This book is designed for beginners, but that doesn’t mean

experienced designers can’t learn from it. You will find many valuable
tips and tricks along with your reading.

INTRODUCTION 01
With the full version of this book, you will get an additional 3
bonuses for free. The bonus files will push you to create a strong
portfolio and your very own professional website. I will show you the
formula to landing your first design role!

Website Template

You will get HTML, CSS & Javascript templates. These templates
will act as a blueprint for you to learn how to code your own website.
You will learn to change images, texts, colors, etc. The template is
designed for all kinds of designers. It has a Home page, About page,
Case Study page, Contact page.

Case Study Template

With the full guide, I will present to you the perfect case study model
through Figma. The template will help you to present your design
work in a detailed way. You can share it on Behance, on your website,
or in your presentation.

My Brief Questions

I have even included a .doc file which includes questions you need to
ask in order to understand your client. Once you understand the brief
completely, you are ready to get started in design.

INTRODUCTION 02
Getting started
I spent a long time, going over what I wanted you to take away from
my guide overall. Lessons which will help you, not only to get a
design role but in all aspects of your life. With this in mind, I decided
to share my most significant learning curves as a designer. I believe
that the lessons that I have learnt over the course of 10 years will
help you to progress quickly.

If you are still reading, that means you are serious about improving
your design skills. I will help you overcome any challenges as you
progress through this guide.

Lesson 1 - Time is precious

I believe that time is the most precious thing in our lives. It is the only
thing money cant buy. We are confined to the borders of this earth,
with limited time.

With this in mind, why would you not use the time you have to
change the trajectory of your life?

The most significant learning in my life is to use time wisely. We can’t

make everything better in one day—the best way is to start with
yourself and everything else will follow.

INTRODUCTION 03
It takes 21 days for the human brain to form a habit. In these days you
can lay the foundations that will change your life.

Small things can lead to significant changes if you give them enough
time. For example, I got used to reading every day, whether it was 10
minutes or 2 hours. I increased my knowledge and learnt to see
things from different perspectives. A skill I now use everyday.

The following lessons are the most valuable gems I picked up over the
years. Take from them what you can, because believe me they will
save you alot of time.

Lesson 2 - Learn daily

Don’t worry, if youre not a big reader. Everyone has to start
somewhere. Google UX and UI and start to read whatever you find
interesting.

At the beginning of your reading journey, you will have a hard time
understanding or you may lose focus. That’s perfectly normal. Keep
reading and pushing through it.

Reading has many benefits, it improves your cognitive functions and

will even widen your vocabulary. Your understanding of design will
increase exponentially as a bonus.

INTRODUCTION 04
If you prefer watching youtube and learning from videos more than
learning from books or articles then thats ok too.

The point is learning every day. You can read, watch or listen. It will
help you to grow as long as you keep learning.

Lesson 3 - Take a note

I got used to taking notes 2 years ago, just before I started sharing
content on Instagram. Every token of valuable information is worth
jotting down as a note, you can always come back and use your
notes for ideas.

It’s good for 2 things. First, you will increase the chances of
remembering the information by heart. Second, it will always be
there for you to refer back to in your work.

I enjoy using post-its, stickers, notebooks, and I spend my money on

good-quality pens. These act as weapons for designers. You
wouldn’t go to the battle arena without your swords or guns so don’t
try to design without being prepared.

Lesson 4 - Learn to take criticism

Hearing criticism can be hard to digest at the start. It takes time to
get used to it.

INTRODUCTION 05
Design something and share it with somebody who understands
design concepts. Listen to people carefully, analyze what they are
trying to say, and implement their feedback. Their different
perspectives will help you to stop holding your design so close to
your heart and see how you can improve.

As you grow, you will cultivate your own design style. You will
understand yourself better and be able to fix problems quicker.

There will come a time where you will need to differentiate between
constructive feedback and negativity. They are not helpful to learn. If
you start sharing design posts on social media, you will probably get
some nasty comments. Don’t worry about them; delete the
comment and keep going.

Lesson 5 - Steal from the best

As a designer, there is no such thing as inventing something from
nothing. You need to get inspired by other designers work.

You can steal specific components or concepts from different

designs. Every component you steal will create something unique at
the end. Combining them together yourself is what really makes you
a good designer. You have to have a good eye for what goes well
together.

INTRODUCTION 06
 Steal from 1
Normal

Steal from 10
Good

Steal from 100

Great

Steal from 1000 Unique

I N T R O D U CT I O N 07
For stealing, we need to find the best designs. We need to know how
to find quality work, so we can see and get inspired.

Using google, Behance, Dribbble, or Instagram search is a soft skill

you must have. The fastest way to find what you are looking for is to
understand each platform's algorithms.

Google

Think like you are a kid; use simple sentences or words in the search.
Most people already know how to google very well.

Behance

It has a very complex search form. First, search any keyword on the
home page, and you receive the detailed search form. Then make a
selection under the "Creative Fields" button, choose photography if
you are looking for photos, choose UI/UX if you are looking for case
studies. Click the "Sort" button at the right of the page, select
Viewed Most, and then choose "Time" to All Time. This way is pretty
helpful to see all the best results. Spend some time on Behance
search, and you will become better at it.

(I find the best images on Behance by searching under the

photography section; this is like my secret recipe to create unique
Instagram post covers. Don't forget to give credits!)

INTRODUCTION 08
Dribbble

Like Behance, dribbble has the same logic in search. First, search a
word on the home page, then you will see Filters. Change the time
frame to All-Time or This Past Year, and you will see better results.

Instagram

I do use tags on Instagram to find popular design posts.

Here my favorite popular hashtags: #ux #ui #uxui #uiux #uxdesign

#uxdesigner #uidesign #uidesigner #designinspiration #dailyux
#dailyui #uxdaily #uidaily.

As you will realize, Instagram hashtags work even when you change
the order of the words. You can try some of my tags in your next
design post.

Lesson 6 - Stay hungry instead of working free

If you are an absolute beginner, the chances are low to find a job. You
can tell your friends and family that you are designing a website,
mobile app, etc. Or you can create your website first. Your first couple
of projects can bring a little money or maybe nothing at all. That’s
okay.

If you have case studies or a strong portfolio, then things will be

different.

INTRODUCTION 09
I started freelancing 12 years ago. I made dozens of websites for local
businesses in my city. In the beginning, I was earning close to
nothing. But I learned many things like how to talk with a client and
how to deliver projects.

You can’t earn money If you don’t know how to do business, even If
you have excellent design skills. You need to be able to sell your
designs. The worth of your design work depends on you?

If your English skills are good enough then you are open to work with
anyone in the world. Earning in dollar currency, working with
international clients should be your first goal as a freelance designer.
The point is never to be working for free after you have some
experience under your belt.

Currently, I charge between $60-$100/hourly, and I calculate the

project budget based on that. I can set whatever rate I want as a
designer because I know how to design quickly and efficiently. I can
create valuable designs for businesses.

My goal with this book is to help you to become a mid-level designer,

senior, lead, or freelancer. Whatever the title you choose, you need to
know the rules of the game.

INTRODUCTION 10
Power without control is madness.

11
CHAPTER 02

Path of Designer

12
Maybe you started learning UX and want to learn about UI. Or you
have practices some UI fundamentals and want to know about UX.

You probably don’t know where to start. There are so many skills to
learn when transitioning as a UX UI Designer and trying to land a job.

This is true. There are a lot of things to do! But take a deep breath
and calm down; I will show you everything you need to know step by
step.

First, you need a vision.

Why are you doing this?

You chose to become and work as a designer.

How will you do that?

You will learn UX UI skills, create a portfolio and apply for jobs.

What do you need to do now?

You need to know your path, roadmap to start your designer journey.

Can you learn everything from this book?

This book is your guide to start your journey as a designer. It would

be best if you kept learning after you completed this book.

PAT H O F D E S I G N E R 13
Why you shouldn’t pursue a career in UX
UX jobs are on the rise, and the digital product design world is
getting much more attention; many designers are looking to make a
big break into a UX career. You have to ask yourself if you are
chasing after a UX career for the right reasons.

Here is a list of reasons you should consider for yourself before

choosing this direction.

1. It’s a trend in the design industry

This is the most giant trap. Probably you heard UX from your friends
and many people online. It is a hot topic. However, it is not the main
reason to get into this job. We need to adapt in the way that’s right for
us, that’s right for you.

You should understand what UX is, what UI design is, why research
is critically important, and fall in love with the process from beginning
to end. Maybe you might find that none of that is what you expected.
Do it because you want to, not because the industry says so.

2. It’s just web design

A web designer is an old terminology in the design industry. Most

companies know that they need to design for users, so they hire UX
designers.

PAT H O F D E S I G N E R 14
Most web designers changed their titles to UX UI designer or
Front-end developer. Web designer methods focus more on web
systems. UX designers focus on design for people.

3. Marketing doesn’t do UX

UX is not exclusive to the product design world. Marketers have

been utilizing good UX practices for years in the digital marketing
industry. The handover process is the most important aspect of a
product life cycle for many proffesionals.

These professionals are outstanding marketers and brand

architects. The truth is, marketing needs excellent UX practices
to make its campaigns stand out.

Where does your passion lie? Do you get your excitement from
the feel of a brand and response to a campaign, or do you get
your excitement from the benefit a design has in someone’s life?

4. It pays better

Money should not be the primary reason to motivate you into this
career path. It’s no secret that UX jobs tend to pay well.

Better than most other design jobs, but it’s for a good reason: it’s
a lot more work. Are you up for that?

PAT H O F D E S I G N E R 15
I get it, money is one of our motivators, and that’s perfectly fine.

However, your happiness in your job is what matters a million

times more. Focus on what makes you happy first, then worry
about money later.

There are more reasons you should consider before jumping into
UX design field, but really what this all comes down to is one
question:

Does UX truly excite you?

If you get pumped up about the process, research, empathy

building, testing, UI components, partnering with product
managers, working alongside developers and engineers — UX is
probably for you.

If you get that warm fuzzy feeling about directly designing the
thing that people will use, potentially having a massive impact on
their lives — UX is definately for you.

Fall in love with the process & your purpose; people will welcome
you with open arms!

PAT H O F D E S I G N E R 16
Knowing the path and walking in the path

are different things.

-Morpheus

17
Steps for finding your path
What is your role? UX, UI, or UX & UI?
Freelance or company
Learn the skill
Create your first projec
Publish your portfoli
Apply to design jobs or find a freelance wor
Start working

1. What is your role?

Do you like to research something and generate ideas?

Do you like to play with shapes and colors?

Or maybe, you like to code?

Let’s see some of the most popular design roles in the industry.

Product Designer

UX Designer

UI Designer
UX Researcher Front-End Developer

SYNTHESIS & IDEATION PROTOTYPING & DESIGN IMPLEMENTATION

PAT H O F D E S I G N E R 18
UX Researcher

Is defined by the process of understanding user behaviors, needs,

and motivations through observational techniques, task analysis, and
other feedback methodologies.

Responsibilitie
User segmentation & demographic researc
Persona Developmen
User need identificatio
Pain point identification and scorin
Market research and competitor analysi
Heuristic/expert revie
Contextual interview
Ethnographic research

Average UX Researcher Salary - 2021

India
$3,000/year
Lowest Salary

United Kingdom
$46,000/year
Lowest Salary

Canada
$51,000/year
Lowest Salary

Germany
$58,000/year
Lowest Salary

Australia
$57,000/year
Lowest Salary

United States $78,000/year Lowest Salary

PAT H O F D E S I G N E R 19
UX Designer (User Experience)

Planning and designing with an awareness of every touchpoint

makes up a user’s overall experience with a product or service.

Responsibilitie
User researc
Solution desig
Information architectur
Sketch & Wireframe
User storie
Use case
Accessibilit
Documentation

Average UX Designer Salary - 2021

India
$4,000/year
Lowest Salary

United Kingdom
$46,000/year
Lowest Salary

Canada
$40,000/year
Lowest Salary

Germany
$47,000/year
Lowest Salary

Australia
$65,000/year
Lowest Salary

United States $80,000/year Lowest Salary

PAT H O F D E S I G N E R 20
UI Designer (User Interface)

Designing interactive digital products, environments, systems, and

services to enhance usability and accessibility for users.

Responsibilitie
Prototype
Flow map
High-fidelity design
Design system creatio
Guidelines

Average UI Designer Salary - 2021

India
$3,000/year
Lowest Salary

United Kingdom
$44,000/year
Lowest Salary

Canada
$36,000/year
Lowest Salary

Germany
$38,000/year
Lowest Salary

Australia
$40,000/year
Lowest Salary

United States $66,000/year Lowest Salary

Salary numbers from glassdoor.com, payscale.com, careerfoundry.com

PAT H O F D E S I G N E R 21
Product Designer

Responsible for the design and development of consumer products.

They are improving existing product designs and analyzing working
concepts launched by competitors to match quality and performance.

Responsibilitie
Create design concepts and drawings to determine the produc
Present product ideas to team members for brainstormin
Suggest improvements to design and performance
Perform research on product technologies and structures to
implement into design concept
Maintain up to date on current industry trends within the market
Coordinate with designers to ensure accurate communicatio
Modify and revise existing designs to meet customer needs

Average Product Designer Salary - 2021

India
$4,000/year
Lowest Salary

United Kingdom
$45,000/year
Lowest Salary

Canada
$56,000/year
Lowest Salary

Germany
$42,000/year
Lowest Salary

Australia
$50,000/year
Lowest Salary

United States $64,000/year Lowest Salary

PAT H O F D E S I G N E R 22
UX Strategist

Has more of a business approach to UX design within product

development. By adopting both perspectives, you will be able to align
the user's needs alongside needs presented by stakeholders. This
will guide decisions and help prioritize feature requests.

Responsibilitie
Business goals and user needs, identifying and articulating
high-impact research questions and opportunities
Synthesize user research and business data to help shape the
product roadmap, designs, and future research activities
Review user stories within a given design sprint
Use storytelling, research insights, reports, and workshops
Evaluate and measure the outcome for each design sprint.

Average UX Strategist Salary - 2021

India
$2,200/year
Lowest Salary

United Kingdom
$34,000/year
Lowest Salary

Canada
$38,000/year
Lowest Salary

Germany
$47,000/year
Lowest Salary

Australia
$48,000/year
Lowest Salary

United States $56,000/year Lowest Salary

PAT H O F D E S I G N E R 23
Service Designer

The service designer identifies how a service can better meet user
needs.

Responsibilitie
Design the end-to-end service, from legislation or policy to
service deliver
Make decisions based on user researc
Design a service that meets user and agency need
Make sure the service meets web standards for all users,
channels, and touchpoint
Create a blueprint or map of the proposed servic
Make sure the main parts of the service are built in from the star
Help the team to develop and iterate the service or produc
Make sure the service and product are consistent for users

Average Service Designer Salary - 2021

India
$6,000/year
Lowest Salary

United Kingdom
$45,000/year
Lowest Salary

Canada
$46,000/year
Lowest Salary

Germany
$44,000/year
Lowest Salary

Australia
$44,000/year
Lowest Salary

United States $45,000/year Lowest Salary

PAT H O F D E S I G N E R 24
Craft vs Leadership

As part of Atlassian’s Building UX Teams at Scale piece, they have

shared a career progression pathway they call the Dual-Track Model.

This model helps you to understand career progression.

Head of Design

Head of Design - Group

Principal Designer

Design Manager

Lead Designer

Senior Designer Design Team Lead

Designer

Grad/Jr Designer

PAT H O F D E S I G N E R 25
No one is going to invite you to the career of your dreams,

so you have to create that path for yourself.

26
2. Freelance or company?
Here are the pros and cons between working as a freelancer or as a
full-time designer at a company.
Doing UX design as a freelancer
Pro
You set your work hour
Freelancing is getting more
and more popula
You can work from anywher
You generally feel more
productiv
You get to pick your clients
and coworker
You can work with as many
or as few clients as you wis
You can make more money in
the long run
PAT H O F D E S I G N E R
Con
You need to manage your
finance
You can end up working all
the tim
You often need to buy your
own tool
Accountable for organising
your own holiday, insurance,
tax and so fort
Succeeding requires skills
outside of UX design
27
Joining a company as a designer

Pro
Easier to get starte
You could gain experience
quicke
You get more financial
stability at the beginnin
You have a more consistent
workloa
Benefits, 401ks, health
insurance, etc.
Con
You don’t get to pick your
projects or client
You might get forced into
doing unrelated thing
You don’t get to negotiate
your rates as ofte
Commuting and being stuck
at the office

How to decide what’s best for you?

In the end, it all comes down to your priorities. If you’re at a point in

your life where job security and receiving a reliable monthly salary is
key above all else, then the agency path is probably better for you.

On the other hand, freelancing is the right path if you value

independence, want to set your working hours, and wish to work
from anywhere.

PAT H O F D E S I G N E R 28
To make your decision easier
Try creating a scorecard based on the pros and cons listed above
Put “freelancer” on one side and “agency” on the other
Go through all the pros and cons for each.

For the pros, assign values from 0 (not valuable) to 5 (extremely

valuable) to each one.

For the cons, go with values from -5 (really significant) to 0

(insignificant).

Then, look at which of the paths has more points.

Hopefully, the pros and cons described above will help steer you onto
the right career path. At the same time, keep in mind that no decision
is final, and you can always switch careers from freelancing to an
agency or a company.

Take your time and think about which path is fitting better for you.

We will talk about learning skills in the next section.

PAT H O F D E S I G N E R 29
3. Learn the skills
If you are still reading, that means you have a passion for learning
more. Our next big step is learning the skills according to the design
role path that you decided to pursue.

There are many ways to educate yourself as a designer.

You can learn by yourself (like me
You can enroll in online courses, boot camp
You can go to design schools physically

Whichever route you decide to follow , you will still need to work hard
every day. Even the most expensive courses can’t help you if you
don’t put the effort in yourself daily.

There is no one source platform that helps you to become a fully

skilled designer. Books, articles, video tutorials, or other designers
should be your best friends.

I know how hard it is to keep dedicated on the same path, especially

when learning design. You will need a lot of motivation to continue
pushing yourself every day. Guidance and feedback will be
necessary to keep you on track. Sometimes you will feel like you
want to give up, and at times you will feel like the happiest person in
the world.

PAT H O F D E S I G N E R 30
You need to picture your vision clearly to grow consistantly as a
designer. You need to know what you are doing and why.

Let me give an example from myself:

Even after 10 years in the design industry, I know that there is so

much more out there for me to learn around UX, UI, and product
development. There is no endpoint in learning and growing in this
life.

When I started to learn UX, I didn’t even know there was such a
concept as user experience. I searched on google, downloaded
UX books, asked people on social media, etc. I was shocked and so
happy to learn that UX exists. I thought finally, I had found my
passion in this world.

I was creating websites for companies without visualising the users

for those websites. I was putting in 100% but I was lacking the
knowledge I needed. Exploring UX helped me to empathize, to
understand that users are real people with real needs.

Since that day, I have never designed anything without thinking

about how my product will help people.

PAT H O F D E S I G N E R 31
How I see and understand the world has changed. It is common to
think UX is only for websites, mobile apps, or software. The reality
is UX is everywhere. Experiences are happening concurrently, all
around us.

Usable, enjoyable products are helping humanity grow.

When I solve a problem, I feel a sense of relief. And solving

problems with design is the most enjoyable thing for me. It’s like
playing a game. You create shapes, play with their colors, and
boom, you produced something more valuable than before.

Through my experience, I have learnt that what people want may

not always be what they need.

The only way to progress UX across the world is to focus on

creating designs that are accessible for everyone.

PAT H O F D E S I G N E R 32
Being self-taught

It’s possible to learn everything you need by yourself. It requires more

effort, and it’s more complex. However, its still doable, its something I
am still doing, to this day.

In this book, I will guide you until you find a job. That’s my main goal.
But it would be great if you learned from other books too.

Here is a list of books that can help you to learn about UX and more

Steal Like an Artist - Austin Kleo

Show Your Work - Austin Kleo
Keep Going - Austin Kleo
Don’t Make Me Think - Steve Kru
Design of Everyday Things - Don Norma
The Elements of User Experience - Jesse James Garret
Product Design Exercises - Artiom Dashinsk
Hooked - Nir Eya
Hacking Growth - Sean Elli
Laws of UX - Jon Yablonsk
Sprint - Jake Knap
Think Like a UX Researcher - David Travis & Philip Hodgso
Just Enough Research - Erika Hal
Zero to One - Peter Thiel

PAT H O F D E S I G N E R 33
As a self-taught designer, you need to practice by yourself. I will
explain what to practice and how to do it in the next chapter ‘’Learn
to practice’’.

Learning by Online Courses & Bootcamps

Another popular way is enrolling in online courses & boot camps.

Online courses are cheaper than boot camps. Which one to choose
depends on your budget. If you have a limited budget, you might
want to go with online courses. If you have enough budget, boot
camps might be easier to learn design.

There are many online courses on the internet so which one should
you take?

I suggested my friends take Google’s UX course when they asked

me. It’s a bit pricey than other online courses, but I believe it is worth
it.

Here is the formula for the star

Start Google’s UX cours
Complete this ebook and create your first portfoli
Read some of the books that I shared on the previous pag
Watch popular youtube video
Read design-related articles on Medium

PAT H O F D E S I G N E R 34
What is next?
Suppose you have enjoyed reading so far, congratulations! You
progressed well. Now, it’s time to dive deeper and learn the
fundamentals to get you ready to work as a designer :)

If you liked those chapters,

Then I’m sure you’ll love the whole eBook. With over 200+ value
pages and fantastic templates, you will learn how to create a digital
product and present your portfolio to find your dream job!

Click here to get the eBook

THE END 35