How to write a case study for portfolio

When making your case studies, one of the most important things to keep in mind is to show potential employers how you learned and changed as your design changed. Employers like it when a UX designer can handle feedback from stakeholders or users. Your case study should include these ten things. 

1. Your role in the project

State your role in the project. In the real world, you’ll mention the team members who collaborated on a design project with you and list the role that each of you played in bringing the designs to life. But for your project in this course, you covered the design process from beginning to end on your own! You should express that in the case study you’re creating.

2. The goal of the project

State the purpose of your project based on your findings from the research.

3. Project’s target audience

Describe the users you tried to solve a problem for or help through your design project.

4. Key challenges or constraints

State the challenges. Some common challenges include things like budget or time constraints.

5. Your research conducted

Mention the details of the research study. What research method did you use, and why did you choose it? What issues did the data reveal that led you into the study? How did the research study look? 

6. Initial concepts or design strategy

Outline your design process and the decisions you made that contributed to that design. This is a good place to back your decisions with data from any research findings or results of a usability study that informed your design thinking.

7. Your sketches or wireframes

Show visuals of your design. This includes paper sketches, wireframes, and low-fidelity prototypes of your design.

8. Results of any user testing

Discuss the results of user testing. At this point, you want to help others understand why the issues occurred and what the usability tests showed as a result. In other words, what did you learn?

9. Final polished designs

Showcase your design. You’ll include a mockup or high-fidelity prototype of your design here to wow your audience.

10. Conclusion

State your conclusion and possible next steps. This is your chance to talk about what you learned throughout the design process and to touch on the future direction for the product or possible iterations.