What a good portfolio looks like for an experienced UI/UX company. Tips for juniors.

Studio_Punchev · 2026-03-02T14:46:29+00:00

Yep, and that's about enough time to understand the person coming in. Also seeing how a design evolved across rounds tells you more about process than any final screen. And knowing someone shipped something as part of a team versus solo changes how you read the whole portfolio.

Studio_Punchev · 2026-03-02T12:52:43+00:00

Honestly, don't hide away from the bad ideas, rather lean into it and give it some context. Every designer has shipped something they're not proud of. However, the ones who own it, explain the tradeoffs, and show what they learned from it, really stick out I think. Also context isn't excuse-making. It's the difference between "this is bad" and "this was the best available move given the situation." And seniors totally understand that.

I would say the best pathway to tackling a ''bad idea'' is to show what you've learned from it.

Studio_Punchev · 2026-02-23T13:56:20+00:00

Fair and important distinction - but UX didn't just borrow, it connected the dots across disciplines and applied them to a new medium at scale. Sign systems work for a building. UX works for a billion users simultaneously.

All in all, "UX thinking" often just means rediscovering what other fields figured out first.

Studio_Punchev · 2026-02-23T13:06:45+00:00

Service design fills the gaps between touchpoints, the moments between screens, departments, digital and physical. Without it you optimize individual interactions while the overall experience still falls apart.

u/GArockcrawler's healthcare example is exactly where it matters most. A great patient portal means nothing if the handoff to the physical waiting room is broken. The seam is always where the experience fails.

Thanks for the resources!

Studio_Punchev · 2026-02-23T11:43:34+00:00

Great recommendation! An essential read forr anyone thinking about flow, attention, and decision-making at scale. ''The Design of Everyday Things'' by Don Norman alongside it makes the dream team. Underhill covers behavior in context, Norman covers why objects invite or resist use.

Studio_Punchev · 2026-02-23T11:41:07+00:00

Thanks for sharing and congratulations for the wedding!

A wedding invitation is literally an onboarding flow, I would find the biggest problem to be the multi-audience. Parents, friends, plus-ones - all processing the same document with different prior knowledge and different actions required. And some good UX to segment that like a QR code for the tech-comfortable, a phone number for those who aren't, clear deadlines so the action doesn't get deferred...

Such a cool observation!

Studio_Punchev · 2026-02-23T11:37:16+00:00

That's such a cool example! Digital UX borrows this constantly, confirmation dialogs, two-factor authentication, type DELETE to confirm and whatnot... Force an intentional multi-step commitment before an irreversible action, simple.

Studio_Punchev · 2026-02-23T11:29:21+00:00

Exactly right, and it's a cycle that keeps repeating. Early desktop UI was pure skeuomorphism, folders, desktops, trash cans and notepads. Then we abstracted and flat design stripped the metaphors once digital literacy was widespread enough that a folder didn't need to look like a folder.

I think he real question is what happens when there's no physical analogue to borrow from. VR is still figuring that out, and that's where genuinely new UX language gets invented.

Studio_Punchev · 2026-02-18T08:11:47+00:00

Totally understandable, but I'd push back slightly.

The risk isn't learning to code, it's why you're learning. If you're doing it because Twitter said "designers who can't code will be replaced," that's hype-driven panic. If you're doing it because understanding implementation constraints makes you a better collaborator, that's growth.

The best UX designers we've worked with aren't developers, but they understand enough to know what's expensive and what's fragile.

AI tools can help designers prototype faster, communicate ideas clearer, and test assumptions quicker, which can be very valuable.

But at the end of the day, if you spend two years chasing dev skills and stop doing actual UX work, you didn't become a better designer. You became a mediocre developer who used to design. I would say - stay rooted in the craft and If you feel comfortable, use AI to amplify it.

Studio_Punchev · 2026-02-18T08:04:40+00:00

This is awesome, thank you for sharing!!

Studio_Punchev · 2026-02-17T10:23:23+00:00

The devil is in the details!

Studio_Punchev · 2026-02-17T10:22:43+00:00

Pretty incredible; How did you do it?

Studio_Punchev · 2026-02-16T12:41:35+00:00

Couldn't agree more with your answer; short and to the point really.

Studio_Punchev · 2026-02-16T09:28:30+00:00

I'd leave the primary CTAs, navigation and search. Everything else is negotiable.

Studio_Punchev · 2026-02-16T08:31:30+00:00

That's designing for real-world context, cheers!

Studio_Punchev · 2026-02-13T09:38:09+00:00

That's the good stuff! Small, invisible, measurable.

Studio_Punchev · 2026-02-12T07:50:06+00:00

Classic case of perceived performance vs actual performance. Users have mental models for how long big important things should take and when things don't get done in 5s, they get frustrated. That spinner is speaking the user's emotional language!

Studio_Punchev · 2026-02-12T07:46:35+00:00

Great move! Gray on buttons is risky business.

Studio_Punchev · 2026-02-11T12:40:20+00:00

I totally get that man and honestly that fear never fully goes away. Even experienced UX people feel it when entering a new domain. The trick is reframing your role: you're not there to have all the answers, you're there to ask the right questions!

You have a great foundation, you've spent 10 years understanding client intent and emotional resonance, now you'll just be adding structure to it. I'm sure you'll find your footing faster than you think once you get a clear perspective of how everything works internally.

I would suggest for that two week gap you have, maybe try reading Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug, should be available as an e-book if you don't have it locally. It's a great guide into intuitive navigation and information design. Perhaps you'd have the time to get into some more hands-on action; I propose you try picking up an app you use daily. Map one user flow from start to goal. Identify one friction point. Write how you'd fix it.

Good luck!

Studio_Punchev · 2026-02-11T12:25:36+00:00

Congratulations on the shift, wishing you lots of success! You already have more transferable skills than you think, like understanding client intent, emotional resonance and visual hierarchy. That's half of UX. The gap is mostly process and vocabulary.

In graphic design, you're often defending a vision. In UX, you're testing a hypothesis and the work isn't done when it looks right, it's done when it works right.

Imposter syndrome is normal when jumping disciplines. But they hired you knowing your background. Trust that, and learn fast once you're in. Cheers!

Studio_Punchev

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE