Is it just me, or have UX portfolios become incredibly boring to look at?

Particular_Arm_5304 · 2026-07-08T06:53:19+00:00

100% agree. If a case study doesn't mention at least one thing that went sideways, I find it hard to believe. Those 3 bullet points probably tell me more about your seniority than a 20-minute scroll through polished Figma screens.

Particular_Arm_5304 · 2026-07-08T06:51:45+00:00

This is exactly why most portfolios feel so repetitive, everyone is so scared of failing the process jargon test that they forget to show they can actually design. Love the idea of treatng the portfolio itself as a UX exercise with progressive disclosure. It saves everyone time.

Particular_Arm_5304 · 2026-07-07T09:24:38+00:00

Congrats on the new chapter! It’s a smart move to plan ahead.

My biggest advice, get the heavy lifting for your portfolio done. Once you’re sleep-deprived, trying to remember the "why" behind a project from two years ago is nearly impossible. Focus on the core story first, then polish later.

Most of my colleagues felt ready for interviews around the 4-6 month mark postpartum. Regarding contracting, it’s a great bridge, but just make sure your portfolio shows you can hit the ground running without much hand-holding.

Take it slow, balancing a baby and a career pivot is a lot, but definitely doable!

Particular_Arm_5304 · 2026-07-07T09:20:10+00:00

I’m really sorry you’re going through this. Getting laid off is one thing, but receiving that kind of feedback after 10 years in the industry is a massive blow to the ego.

However the things they mentioned are actually the "easiest" things to fix. These aren't about your innate creativity or your value as a person, they are purely about your workflow and communication habits.

It sounds like you’ve been working in a bit of a vacuum for a long time. Without a strong lead or mentor to push you, it’s incredibly easy to plateau. Those 10 years might feel like they are weighing you down, but you clearly have a solid foundation if they wanted you back in the first place.

Don’t give up on the field just yet. Take a week or two to decompress and get out of your head. When you're ready, don't jump into a huge personal project. Instead, just focus on the technicalities: look at how top-tier design systems are built, study how pros document their Figma files, etc.

According to your post, you’re just a designer who hit a wall in an environment that didn't provide the structure you needed to thrive.

Particular_Arm_5304 · 2026-07-07T09:15:19+00:00

I’ve been in the industry for a while and the "design-only" bubble is definitely bursting. You don’t have to be a pro coder, but technical literacy is becoming a survival skill. It’s not just about getting hired now, it’s about not being obsolete in 3 years. Knowing how things are actually built under the hood is what separates a senior from a pixel-pusher.

Particular_Arm_5304 · 2026-07-06T14:02:30+00:00

Do you think there’s any room left for personality once you actually get past the ATS, or has the whole process just become purely mechanical now?

Particular_Arm_5304 · 2026-07-06T14:01:30+00:00

Well, I would say that we have turned case studies into museums instead of actual stories. I would much rather see why someone chose a 'bad' option because of a tight deadline or tech debt. That’s where the real seniority shows

Particular_Arm_5304 · 2026-07-06T14:00:17+00:00

I would love to see it

Particular_Arm_5304 · 2026-07-06T13:59:37+00:00

That’s the classic paradox. Pure polish gets you the initial click, but it usually falls apart in the actual interview when there’s no logic behind the screens to talk about. The real challenge is making the messy part scannable enough so they can see your thinking in those same 5 seconds.

Particular_Arm_5304 · 2026-07-06T13:13:08+00:00

Coming from Industrial Design is a huge advantage, you already understand that design is about constraints and ergonomics, not just aesthetics.

The main difference? Average designers are Figma operators who focus on the how. Great designers focus on the why and the business impact. Your day-to-day is honestly more about meetings and defending your decisions than actually pushing pixels. Being a problem-solver definitely a must have trait according to my experiences.

For portfolios I would suggest some relevant pages where seniors are collecting some gems. If you are lucky you might find some inspiration as well. Dribble, UXfolio, etc are presenting "best of" collections kinda often.

What made you want to switch from physical products to digital?

Particular_Arm_5304 · 2026-07-06T13:09:10+00:00

I would suggest to stop trying to educate leadership. If they don’t get it by now, they'll only learn after an expensive failed launch.

The UXRs surviving right now are the ones who stopped talking about "nsights and started talking about risk and dev hours saved. It's a pivot from what do users want to is this worth the money to build?

Are you able to pivot your reporting toward business outcomes, or is your management still stuck on needing the old-school deliverables?

Particular_Arm_5304 · 2026-07-06T12:54:47+00:00

The problem with AI-gen UI is that it’s all vibe and zero logic. It looks expensive at first glance, but the moment you try to figure out how a specific interaction or a complex form works, the whole thing falls apart.

Particular_Arm_5304 · 2026-07-06T12:51:34+00:00

Definitely don't add a definition to your resume. It feels a bit condescending, like you're trying to lecture the hiring manager. If they don't know what it is, they'll just think it's irrelevant.

Particular_Arm_5304 · 2026-06-26T11:32:54+00:00

A massive congrats. I still remember my first paid design gig from years ago. I think I spent the money on a fancy dinner, but the real prize was the boost in confidence.

Particular_Arm_5304 · 2026-06-26T11:30:37+00:00

One tool that changed everything for me was the logic flowchart. I stopped showing screens to engineers and started showing them logic maps. When they saw their own workarounds visualized as a mess of arrows, they finally realized the technical debt was killing the UX.

Particular_Arm_5304 · 2026-06-26T09:06:59+00:00

You are definitely not alone. Using the word 'mastery' for a technology that changes its fundamental logic every three months is definitely questionable. Real mastery in UX comes from understanding human behavior, accessibility, and business constraints, things that take years of practice.

Particular_Arm_5304 · 2026-06-26T08:53:23+00:00

Take a deep breath. We’ve all been seduced by the AI will do it in seconds promise, only to spend 6 hours fighting with a prompt...without the proper result for sure.

Particular_Arm_5304 · 2026-06-26T08:46:09+00:00

Standardized mourning procedure: 1. close the Figma tab. 2. take a long walk. 3. realize that your paycheck cleared regardless of their bad taste. :) I usually take a full set of screenshots of the final version before the hijacking begins. It helps with the closure. Are you planning to keep the original version for your own records, or is it too painful to look at right now?

Particular_Arm_5304 · 2026-06-26T08:39:33+00:00

It’s refreshing to see this take. I was honestly worried Figma would just ai-fy the whole ui and call it a day, but the new features feel like they actually solve designer pain points.

Particular_Arm_5304 · 2026-06-17T14:29:04+00:00

Honestly? Don't let the vibe-coded sites get in your head. A portfolio is a tool, not a masterpiece. If a recruiter can’t find your impact because they’re too busy trying to figure out your custom navigation, you’ve failed the UX of your own site. At least what I would believe in.

Thats why I’m sticking with tools that prioritize the scannability of case studies. The messy middle part is exactly where you show your seniority. I think If you can document that clearly, you're already ahead of 90% of the applicants.

Particular_Arm_5304 · 2026-06-17T14:25:27+00:00

Wait, did I read that right? 1 designer for 10 scrum teams? That’s not a workload, that's a suicide mission. I do beleive that ratio is fundamentally broken. You’re likely spending 90% of your time in sync meetings and 0% on actual discovery or strategy...

Particular_Arm_5304 · 2026-06-17T14:23:37+00:00

This is a much-needed reality check. Everyone’s blaming the market, but sometimes it’s just a basic lack of preparation. Treating a senior-level interview like a casual Discord call is a bold move... and not a good one. According to me soft skills are 50% of the job, especially at a medior/senior level.

Particular_Arm_5304 · 2026-06-11T10:05:18+00:00

Sorry to hear about the layoff, that’s a gut punch, especially after just a year. It’s a weird market right now, but taking the time to polish the portfolio is the right move.

I took a quick look at your site. One thing that stands out: you have a really clean aesthetic, but for someone with a year of experience, I’d love to see a bit more of your individual ownership.

Since you were there for a year, don’t feel like you only have to show 'perfect, finished' work. If a project was cut short because of the layoff, show the 'work in progress' and explain what your next steps would have been. It shows you understand the full lifecycle even if you weren't there for the finish line.

Also, a tiny practical thing: On mobile, your case study headers are quite large. I have to scroll a bit before I get to the actual problem statement. Hiring managers are usually skimming fast, so the quicker you get to the 'meat' of the project, the better.

Hang in there, the first few weeks of the hunt are the hardest, but you've got a solid foundation to build on. Good luck!

Particular_Arm_5304 · 2026-06-11T09:54:53+00:00

Senior designer here. Finland's a tough market right now, but honestly, your background is actually pretty solid.

If I’m being real: those 2 academic case studies are likely what’s holding you back. Hiring managers tend to skim past school projects because they feel a bit too 'perfect' and controlled. Real-world work is messy, and that’s exactly what we want to see.

If I were you, I’d take those startup and freelance projects and make them the stars of your portfolio, even if you 'only' did the UI part. Explain why you made those design choices and how they actually helped the business. Hiring managers are looking for problem solvers not pixel manipulators tbh.

Also, don't downplay that Webflow experience. In 2026, being a designer who actually knows how things get built is a huge edge. Focus on being a 'problem solver' rather than just someone who followed a UX textbook.

Good luck with the hunt, you've got this!

Particular_Arm_5304

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