Case Study

Building a Strategic Portfolio

Designing a High-Impact Portfolio Website for a Product Designer targeting B2B SaaS, Fintech, and startups

Client: Myself (Personal Brand)

Timeline: 4 weeks

Role: Product Designer

Focus: Strategic Positioning

-Portfolio as a Product-

-User-Centered Design-

-Strategic Positioning-

-Design Systems-

-UX Strategy-

-Portfolio as a Product-

-User-Centered Design-

-Strategic Positioning-

-Design Systems-

-UX Strategy-

-Portfolio as a Product-

-User-Centered Design-

-Strategic Positioning-

-Design Systems-

-UX Strategy-

-Portfolio as a Product-

-User-Centered Design-

-Strategic Positioning-

-Design Systems-

-UX Strategy-

-Portfolio as a Product-

-User-Centered Design-

-Strategic Positioning-

-Design Systems-

-UX Strategy-

-Portfolio as a Product-

-User-Centered Design-

-Strategic Positioning-

-Design Systems-

-UX Strategy-

-Portfolio as a Product-

-User-Centered Design-

-Strategic Positioning-

-Design Systems-

-UX Strategy-

-Portfolio as a Product-

-User-Centered Design-

-Strategic Positioning-

-Design Systems-

-UX Strategy-

-Portfolio as a Product-

-User-Centered Design-

-Strategic Positioning-

-Design Systems-

-UX Strategy-

-Portfolio as a Product-

-User-Centered Design-

-Strategic Positioning-

-Design Systems-

-UX Strategy-

-Portfolio as a Product-

-User-Centered Design-

-Strategic Positioning-

-Design Systems-

-UX Strategy-

-Portfolio as a Product-

-User-Centered Design-

-Strategic Positioning-

-Design Systems-

-UX Strategy-

The Challenge

Most portfolios fail to answer one question

"Can you solve real product problems — or just make things look good?"

I needed to build more than a website — I needed a strategic hiring

Visual concept of a portfolio as a strategic hiring tool for product designers

Deliver impact
Results over pretty pixels
Simplify complexity
Clear communication of complex ideas
Think like a product partner
Strategic thinking beyond visual design

Reviewed 15+ senior designer portfolios — most started with visuals, not context. Job posts emphasized “strategic thinker,” not “UI expert.”

Research & Key Insights

I didn’t start with inspiration — I started with empathy.

Mapped how three key personas experience portfolios

Olena

Design Manager

Needs proof of independent thinking

Alex

Product Lead

Looks for problem-solving, not polish

Mariia

Founder

Wants speed + quality

How I validated

Analyzed job descriptions, studied top Behance/Dribbble case studies, and used FigJam to map user journeys and pain points.

My Approach to the Solution

Start with the user journey

Mapped how Olena, Alex, and Mariia move from entry to decision.

User journey map showing persona entry, first impression, and exploration steps

Define the core problem

"How might we help hiring managers quickly identify a strategic product designer — not just a visually skilled one?" This HMW question guided every design and content decision.

HMW question guiding the portfolio design: How might we prove strategic thinking?

Build around clarity, not decoration

No unnecessary animations
Only 3 curated projects
Every sentence serves a purpose

Before/After comparison: clean, content-first UI vs. cluttered, decorative design

Use content as a competitive advantage

Wireframe showing clear structure and hierarchy, designed for impact not visuals.

Content-first approach: writing all copy before designing in Figma

Design for impact, not just beauty

Wireframe showing clear structure and hierarchy, designed for impact not visuals

Before

Scattered Notes in FigJam

Chaotic FigJam board with scattered notes and no clear structure

After

Organized Strategy Map

User Flow

View The Project in FigmaRight Now

Outcome & Impact

Real improvements — even before launch.

Built a clear UVP that communicates value in under 10 seconds
Defined 3 user personas with deep empathy
Created a content-first wireframe
Structured case studies to start with the problem
Designed a minimal, high-impact layout
Prepared full dev handoff using Nuxt.js + Tailwind CSS

What changed?

Before

Status: Disjointed screens with no strategy.

No clear UVP or audience focus.
Scattered content with no user journey.
Unaddressed pain points for hiring managers.

After

Status: Strategic product addressing hiring needs proactively.

Defined UVP tackling audience pain points.
Structured user journey with research-backed sections.
Solved pain points with 30% faster engagement.

Now,

instead of asking "Do you like my work?"

I’m asking,

Want to solve complex product challenges together?

Want to build a portfolio that gets you hired — not just seen?

Hire Me for Your TeamRight Now