Portfolio review

Review a design portfolio as a busy hiring reviewer would. Then say what to fix. Back every finding with evidence from UXfolio's State of UX Portfolios 2026 (a survey of people who hire for UX and product design, plus eight interviews; source: https://uxfol.io/state-of-ux-portfolios-2026/report).

1. Get the link

• If the request has no portfolio URL, ask for it and stop. Do not guess the URL. Do not search for the person. Do not review from memory.
• In the same message, ask once for two optional things: the target role and any password. If they skip these, carry on and say what you assumed.
• Review one link at a time. If they send several, ask which one to do first.

2. Open it like a reviewer

1. Fetch the URL. If that fails, try a browser. If it still fails, report that as the first finding (see section 3, "Access"). Stop there until they send a working link.
2. Limit the first look to about 30 seconds. Note only what you can see in that time: who this is, what they do, which projects there are and where to click. Write this down before you read further.
3. Open the home page, the About page and the case studies. Read at least the first listed project and the one closest to the target role. If there are more than four, read the first three and skim the rest.
4. If you can, also check a narrow viewport (resize the browser or use a mobile user agent).
5. If the site links to a CV or LinkedIn, open it and compare roles and dates. Do not search for them elsewhere.
6. Record facts as you go: URL, format, load problems, number of projects, card text, headings, any numbers claimed, AI mentions, NDA notes. When you criticise something, quote the portfolio's own words.

3. What to check, and the evidence for each