little ideas keep growing

You apply for a UX job (pretty much same rules apply for UX contract work) and they ask you for some examples of work.

What do you do?

What do you want to do?

Maybe some of your work is NDA’d , maybe some of your work is not live yet but the main reason an employer (or those chosen to represent it) asks to see work is so it can establish how you work and whether you are going to fit into a team. They want to see sketches, ideas, work process. So often portfolios concentrate so hard on appearance and design and veer away from showing how the person works. An interview for a UX position is so much about personality and work processes and much less about showy portfolios.

by Ivana Jurcic

My advice is to avoid a portfolio (in whatever form it takes) only containing highly polished wireframes, flow diagrams, user journeys, taxonomies etc. Concentrate on showing prospective employers ‘how you work’ especially if they indicate new innovative ways of working, an interest in new mock up methods (ie JQuery or Protokit) or theories. I promise you it’s really exciting to be awoken from your slumber in the middle of an interview by inspiring infographics, sketchbooks, ideas. Pretty wireframes are a given (and rarely a decider on whether to employ someone).

Some UX professionals are concerned when sending in examples of work as they believe that they have to be onhand to explain them. I believe this is an unnecessary concern as work should be able to stand up for itself without explanation. Be self-explaining and understandable from the work’s included notes? Isn’t that the point? And the state or fidelity of the work is irrelevant.

I believe what employers want to see is examples of process, sketches, artwork, ideas, infographics, innovation, specialisations, concepts, articles etc – stuff that stands you out from the competition. Stuff that demonstrates that you will bring something new to the team and that your processes will fit into the team.

Of course this can be very different if you are a well known member of the UX community nationally or internationally as you will often get work on reputation and there will be no need for any screening process. Your work will be known and there is no doubt that the person offering the work will have some knowledge and experience of your work. But not everyone is in this position of strength (and it takes a lot of effort and hard work to get there) and not everyone gets there either. (Feedback on Twitter on this subject suggests that well known UX professionals prefer not to show work in advance but are happy to share in person or afterwards.)

Problems can occur with experienced members of the UX community who believe that their extensive experience excludes them from the potential ignominy of a screening process. If you haven’t worked with them then I think the same rules apply (and it is always healthy to come over as humble and accessible and to avoid at all costs any hint of arrogance).

by Celine Celine

Obviously to accompany all this it is vital to have an online presence where prospective employers can establish connections with mutual friends/colleagues for references/referrals and build a picture of your interests and strengths. In this day and age with online being the predominant source of information, news and collaboration for the UX community to not have any online presence is rather strange. It is better to start as early as possible as it is not something one can create overnight.

This subject sits close to the interview question that when asked receives so many lame answers it is quite frightening “How do you keep up with the wider UX/IA community and good practice?” Please do not say ‘online” or “Apple” as they plainly are not acceptable answers. The question “Who in the UX/design community are your heroes?” also often receives rather uninspiring answers. It really doesn’t take very much to put together some decent answers to these questions (and if you struggle to remember names – often one of the lame answers – write them down in preparation for the interview). I find it very hard to believe a member of the UX community cannot have come into contact with Don Norman, Jesse James Garrett or Steve Krug.

Below is some of the feedback regarding showing portfolios I received on Twitter:

“I’d say that’s their prerogative, but it’s also your prerogative to not conduct that phone interview.”
“if they have been working under NDAs, this is ok.”
“that could easily be me. I don’t send ’samples’ of my work in advance, happy to share as as we speak or after a chat though.”
“I would have thought everyone has SOME portfolio pieces that aren’t sensitive and could be sent in advance. I know I do.”
“Even if they worked their whole career under NDAs they should have a portfolio, even if it doesn’t include ‘work’ work.”
“is definitely true that attitude to the recruit process tells a lot about *both* the recruiter/ee, is often a reason I opt out.”
“is not about portfolio sensitivity IMHO, is context. What is a deliverable in isolation? Exception = recruiting entry level.”
“For me it’s about seeing the quality / attention to detail / design of a candidate’s work, not so much the context / process.”
“that assumes wireframes are a key deliverable. What if you’re working collaboratively, fast sketching, straight into code?”
“it goes back to the fit between recruiter/ee. If you’re *looking* to do a detailed wireframe phase, then recruit for it.”
“Any kind of portfolio piece, wireframes, sketches, reports, photos of a wall of post-its, etc. give me invaluable insights.”
“Ideally show me stuff during face to face though, so it’s not in isolation and therefore open to misinterpretation ”
“my blog *is* my portfolio”
“i don’t see what you’re going to get from that out of context except whether candidate can make wireframes look nice”
“yes, see, that’s why I find a blog so useful-so you can get a feel for whether or not the applicant has a clue/any passion.”
“one could argue that you should be able to google them & find everything you need to qualify them (or not) or an interview.”
“a 10 min phone conversation can tell you whether it’s worth getting them in for initial interview”
“Problem with work sent in advance is how it’s judged. Each interviewer is looking for something different.”
“My best work in terms of outcomes is often the least attractive deliverable when seen in isolation.”
“Would ask the reason first but would be concerned that they are witholding ALREADY. We are all about communication after all.”
“It shouldn’t be, but my point is when you send work ahead w/o context that’s what it ends up being about.”
“maybe they can’t because of an NDA…? would have thought they should have something to show even if areas are obfuscated”
“I’d be way more suspicious about the lack of an online presence than portfolio (though I see it all the time depressingly)”
“I always refuse to send work examples in advance of interview as it’s important to outline approach, constraints, etc.”
“Also, as a contractor I need to fit into the client work culture as smoothly as possible – process, etc., always reflect this…”
“My problem is that over 90% of our work is under a NDA and I can’t send it to a prospective client or put it on our site”
“Finally, due to the high calibre of client I serve, most of my 2009 work is yet to go live so is still commercially sensitive…”
“My other concern is prospective clients ruling me out because they don’t see their internal style reflected in my past work…”
“Just because they don’t see their internal style reflected in my past work doesn’t necessarily mean I can’t deliver what they want…”
“So, for all those reasons, I prefer to talk through past work and dismiss requests for any work samples in advance.”
“phone interview without portfolio should be ok, but if anyone turns up with nothing to show for face-to-face, show them the door”

Worth reading Andrew’s blog on “How to get a job at a wed design agency”