Oliver Meakings

I'm the founder of Senja.io, a bootstrapped SaaS that helps you collect, manage and share customer testimonials. 

Senja helps you collect testimonials using automations, and share them as images, widgets, popups, Walls of Love, links and videos.

I'd love you to try it: Senja.io

Co-Founder

Co-founder of Senja.io. Collect, manage and share your testimonials.

Olly Meakings

I want to spend $120,000 on marketing

$20,000/month over six months

This will be my biggest ever marketing bet at Senja

But I want to scale from $1,000,000 to $2,000,000 ARR and need to take bigger bets

My brain is telling me to try and scale something measurable - meta ads, Google Ads, cold outbound

But my gut thinks I should focus on the hard work of building relationships with power-users and influencers of our ICP

Less measurable, slower to ramp-up, but a genuine opportunity to find and persuade the right people to use Senja, and get to success

This work would then act as the foundation of future marketing activity

So I'm torn

What would you do #BuildInPublic?

Building a bootstrapped SaaS in public, without the BS

I got roasted by 250 people

I knew my post would be controversial, but I had no idea it would also totally change my thinking

I thought people would focus on the measurable vs unmeasurable marketing question, or discuss head versus heart when making strategic decisions

Instead some very smart people focused on me fixing fundamental issues with the product and our product-led growth (now) before sequencing in paid (later)

Senja is product-led but I've drifted way from this over time because our churn and TOF sign ups have met and I have been looking to throw money at the problem

I'm starting to realise that paid will compound existing issues, whereas (unmeasurable?!) relationship building will not only drive TOF but assist throughout the funnel -> activation -> retention -> referral -> churn

We help our customers collect and share video testimonials and stories, and tell them this is how to grow, so it's critical that this is the foundation of our own marketing

Finally I need to look again at our product growth loops as we're uniquely positioned to grow from them IF enough news customers are getting to success

Our tool creates (awesome) assets for our customers that can drive awareness and TOF but only if they are being shared

Thanks to everyone who commented and especially to Olya Grovel 👩🏼‍🔬 who challenged my key assumptions

This is exactly why I LOVE #buildinpublic

I’m hiring my first marketer for Senja

Where should I look?

I'm hiring at Senja!!

Let's start 2026 getting the world's best creator educators on Senja!

I'm looking for someone to manage concierge migrations.

You will lead our efforts to find the best creator educators, tell them about Senja, migrate them to our platform, and ensure they get to success.

If you’re interested, application in comments below.

Your annual reminder that #buildinpublic is for this:

→ Accountability
→ Reflection
→ Helping others through sharing
→ Building community
→ Hiring

Not this
→ Getting rich quick
→ Doing marketing
→ Getting likes on X

The most rewarding part of sharing my journey has been having a ritual to reflect on my progress.

And then sharing it in a way that can help others.

I know a lot of people see #buildinpublic as a way to market their business, and that's a nice second-order effect.

But fundamentally it's about sharing, helping and democratising information.

I'm particularly inspired by those who continue to do it at scale, like Joel Gascoigne at Buffer ✨

I have $12,000 to spend on Meta ads

I want to run 3 cycles of $4,000 of ad spend

Who should I talk to about Meta ads for SaaS?

Most testimonials are filler

Not because they're bad, but because they're untested and unmeasured

You collect them, edit them, and share them on your sales pages

But you have no idea if they're actually helping buyers to make a decision

What if your leads could tell you which testimonials were most helpful?

And you could use that information to show more of the most helpful proof in your marketing?

Over time, you could discover
→ Which stories resonate
→ Which formats work
→ Which proof belongs above the fold

And which testimonials should be hidden

This is something I've been exploring at Senja in our widget playground

Visitors can actually upvote the proof that was useful to them

What do you think?

Would visitors actually leave feedback on a testimonial? 

#buildinpublic

Kicking off 26 with some great news - another native integration live!!!

You can now find Senja inside Umso

Instantly add your customer testimonial widgets to your Umso landing pages

This type of integration Senja's customers get to success in other tools

And it increases the discoverability of Senja across the web

Plus, it's amazing to see Senja inside tools I love and use

Aneta Kmiecik

Sr. UX Designer | Helping designers link UX projects with UX portfolio stories

I help designers build careers they love and get paid for it.

After 14 years in the creative field, including 7 years in UX and a background in architecture, I’ve coached over 1,000 designers on how to stand out, get hired, and grow with purpose. So far, 500 designers built portfolio with my course.

Most designers don’t struggle with design itself, they struggle with direction, communication, and positioning. That’s where I focus.

Through my UX Portfolio Course and content, I teach practical ways to:
• Build a portfolio that tells a clear story
• Navigate job searches with strategy, not luck
• Grow a career that feels aligned, not overwhelming

If you’re ready to take your design career from “uncertain” to “intentional,” let’s connect.


💌 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀:
• Instagram: instagram.com/ux.aneta
• Newsletter: beyourowndesignteam.beehiiv.com/subscribe
• Community: be-your-own-design-team.circle.so/c/be-your-own-design-team/

UX Designer

Are you explaining your UI or your decisions, in your UX portfolio?


The biggest difference between a junior and senior portfolio?
You could say more polished UI. It can be. But the biggest difference that shows a designer has more product thinking is in explaining design decisions.

Early in my career, I'd walk through my portfolio like a guide:
↳ "Here's the homepage"
↳ "Here's the mockup I made"
↳ "Here are the colours I chose"
I thought showcasing the what and listing methods I used was enough. I thought this would show I was a good student.

But then I got this one feedback from a recruiter that changed everything:
"You show some convergent thinking, but not so much divergent thinking and reasoning"

It took me a long time of comparing my portfolio stories to others, lots of testing and iteration. I worked as a design team of one, didn't have mentors, so I didn't get this product thinking skill early on. It took me a while.

But here's what I look for in portfolios now as both a designer and hiring manager:
❌ Stop describing UI
✅ Start explaining decisions

The biggest leap in portfolio maturity comes from communicating not only the what, but the why behind it. Your decision should be connected to concrete business goals, research insights, or user needs. Not "I made the CTA blue" but "I prioritised visibility over brand consistency because our data showed 67% of users were missing the primary action"

The next level of great storytelling and maturity is to talk about what you didn't choose.

Every design decision involves trade-offs. If you want to show strategic thinking, explain why you picked option B over option A. What did you sacrifice? Simplicity for flexibility? Speed for depth? Short-term metrics for long-term behaviour change?

That's how you demonstrate you're not just making things look good, but that you're making intentional choices. You show that you’re aware of the consequences.

💬 What should I cover in my next post about Junior vs Senior? Let me know! 
❤️ Follow for the next episodes
📤 Share it with your design buddy
🏷️ Save Episode 9: Portfolio UX Decisions

—
ℹ️ Note: Junior/Senior refers to skills, not years. Senior examples are more mature and show clearer storytelling.
👀 Check previous episodes: links in the comments

—
Senior-level portfolios featured in the carousel:
https://www.byjmm.com/ by Jessica Malheiro
https://lnkd.in/e8s2i2fX 
https://lnkd.in/e4v6vEpr
https://lnkd.in/eg3MTASY by Richard Du
https://lnkd.in/eVUnhzg2 by Ebru Marangoz
https://lnkd.in/exHc9k_x by Chengsu Chen
https://yurikim.co/ by Yuri Kim
https://lnkd.in/ev6R8sJp
One example is from Framer template that you can check here: https://lnkd.in/dtiHiKpb

#UXPortfolio #JuniorUXDesigner #SeniorUXDesigner #ProductDesigner

uxportfolio.co | Build a design career you love & get paid for it

Episode 9 - Junior vs Senior Design Portfolio

Are we finally done with portfolio checklists in 2026?


For a long time, portfolios were treated like a record of work.

Almost like a school report, a timeline, proof that you were busy, or a place to show you followed the rules and knew what UX design is about.
So designers tried to include everything:
↳ Every step of the process
↳ Every project, but just real and shipped
↳ All UX buzzwords possible
↳ Every screen, even if out of context
↳ A metric at the end, but just numerical

On paper, this looked correct. In practice, many portfolios felt long and repetitive, proving the same thing. As a consequence, many design portfolios were hard to distinguish. Kinda mediocre students, good, but not good enough to invite for an interview.

What’s changing in 2026 is deeper than any previous portfolio transformation we’ve seen. The industry is changing. AI is becoming a natural part of the design process. This change will impact portfolios and hiring needs.

I think we’re entering an era of curated portfolios with strong intentions behind them.

Strong portfolios will start to be confident and authentic. It will not be about great students anymore, but about mindful, intentional, and passionate designers.

Portfolios in 2026 will be built around choices:
✅ Who the portfolio is for
✅ Which problems are worth showing
✅ Which decisions deserve explanation
✅ Where to go deep and where to pause
This is where the difference starts to show.

The story shifts from:
“I know the ball”
to
“Here’s what I did, why, and why it’s relevant for you”
This will help hiring managers with decision-making.

A funny reflection I also have is that we will see a huge comeback of conceptual projects, which were criticised for years. I think due to the industry changes happening, more designers will show:
⭐️ Small AI experiments
⭐️ Designed and built apps
⭐️ Prototypes used by just a few people
That way they will show curiosity and adaptability. That they’re paying attention to how the industry is changing.

A UX portfolio in 2026 isn’t a diary anymore.
It’s a designed experience with a clear point of view.

That’s the shift I’m seeing. What is your observation?

❤️ Follow for more portfolio insights
📤 Share it with your design buddy
🏷️ Save it for future reference

—
IN-style portfolios featured in the carousel:
https://soon.work/ by Soon C.  
https://rodrigoestrada.com
https://amylalai.com/ by Amy La
https://airladesigns.com by Airla Fan
https://supdima.com by Dmitry Evteev
https://lnkd.in/eF2JsSTa by Bethany Robertson
https://syedadam.com/ by Adam Syed
https://www.yejis.world
https://justinedu.com by Justine Du
One example is from Framer template that you can check here: https://lnkd.in/dtiHiKpb

#UXPortfolio2026 #UXPortfolio #UXDesigner

uxportfolio.co | Build your design portfolio

UX Portfolio INS and OUTS for 2026

The portfolios I remember most show the least.


That sounds backwards. But since 2020, I've been reviewing portfolios, coaching and hiring designers. I've seen it over and over. The ones that stick aren't the longest or with the largest number of projects. They're the clearest.

Most designers I work with start by adding more: projects, process, visuals. At first, it feels like the right move. But when everything is highlighted, nothing is clear. It becomes harder for recruiters to understand your story.

❌ Quantity doesn't equal quality

I've had students with 1 strong case study get invited to interviews. Because 1 clear story is often better than 5 mediocre ones. When you cut a project that doesn't fit the role you want. When you replace "improved the UX" with a specific metric tied to a specific problem. Your story gets simpler, and that's why it's easier to understand.

The same rule applies to your online portfolio and case study presentation, but you need to think about them holistically to know what to delete. Because they aren't the same context.

Online portfolio
It's async. It needs to work without you, because recruiters scan it in 30 seconds. The goal is to signal fit fast. So:
↳ Less text, more clarity
↳ Sharp visuals
↳ 1 clear story per project
Just enough to get you the interview.

Case study presentation
It's sync. You're in the room. You can add context, show collaboration, walk through the messy middle, answer questions. This is where you go deeper:
↳ A few problems
↳ Non-design problems
↳ Some nuance

Think of it like Hemingway's iceberg theory 🗻
Your online portfolio shows the 20% above water. Clean, simple, intentional, showing a bit of breadth and depth. Beneath it is the 30%: those additional problems you solved, questions you answer during the presentation. And then there's the 50% you don't talk about at all, because it wouldn't add anything valuable to your story.

The goal isn't to explain everything, but to make recruiters curious enough to talk with you.

What the strongest portfolios have in common:
✅ 1-4 projects, each showing a different skill
✅ 1 problem per case study
✅ Results matched to the problem
✅ Online signals fast, presentation goes deeper

What’s your current portfolio struggle? Let me know in the comments 😊

❤️ Follow for concrete examples tomorrow
📤 Share it with your design buddy
🏷️ Save this if you’re rebuilding your portfolio

#UXPortfolio #UXCaseStudyPresentation #DesignPortfolio

Less is more or more is less in a UX portfolio?

The best portfolios I've seen are half-empty.


Yesterday I shared 10 things to delete from your portfolio. Today, I'm sharing concrete examples.

This is episode 10 of my Junior vs Senior series. Every slide shows the same lesson: what you leave out matters more than what you put in.

The pattern I see over and over when reviewing portfolios:
👶🏻 Junior move → Add more to prove they can do it all
👵🏻 Senior move → Delete more to show recruiters what matters

Yesterday in my post I didn’t cover one portfolio tip:
Your portfolio is a trailer, not the full movie.

A trailer doesn't show every scene, share every detail, or talk about everything that happened. It shows just enough to make you want to watch. It creates tension, shows just enough breadth and depth, and leaves some questions unanswered. All on purpose.

That's what your online portfolio should do. It's not there to show everything. The goal of an online portfolio is to get you an interview.
✅ Know your goal
✅ Show what matters
✅ Talk about core problems
✅ Share just key decisions
✅ Connect with key goals
✅ Highlight the main outcome

The full project story?
You don't need it. Curation is on you. You decide what's worth sharing.

But also balance your story over time.
From online portfolio to case study presentation. Make recruiters curious with your online portfolio, then walk them through a few additional details in the interview.

So before you add another case study, detail, or visual, ask yourself:
Does this help my trailer? Or does it overwhelm my story?

💌 Subscribe for the full guide on Friday in my newsletter:
https://lnkd.in/dp8Dgp9d


❤️ Follow for the next episodes
📤 Share it with your design buddy
🏷️ Save Episode 10

— 
ℹ️ Note: Junior/Senior refers to the approach, not the person. It doesn't suggest juniors should do what I show as "junior move". Senior move is more mature and that's the one I recommend.
👀 Check previous episodes: links in the comments

—
Senior portfolio examples featured in the carousel:
https://lnkd.in/ek_G2ddu by Pearl Sequeira
https://lnkd.in/eGxZbcFq by Bethany Robertson
https://lnkd.in/eahgeqt2 by Om Nagarkar
https://www.ruby-wu.com/ by Ruby Wu
https://www.jasonkim.me/ by Jason Kim
https://lnkd.in/dia4KryE by Durojaiye S.
One example is from Framer template that you can check here: https://lnkd.in/dtiHiKpb

#UXPortfolio #JuniorUXDesigner #SeniorUXDesigner

Episode 10 - Junior vs Senior Design Portfolio

These portfolios are designed for hiring managers, not for trends.

In this portfolio series with Framer, I’ve been sharing different website examples to show what’s possible with modern tools.

This time, I’m focusing on portfolios built for full-time product design roles.
↳ These sites are simple, structured, and focused on the work
↳ No visual noise or overdesigned layouts
↳ Just clear storytelling and strong presentation

What stands out in these examples:
✅ Clear project hierarchy
✅ Readable layouts that guide the eye
✅ Visuals that support the story
✅ Consistent structure across case studies

They’re great references if you want a professional portfolio that feels polished, confident, and easy to review for hiring managers.

All of these were built in Framer and they’re great inspiration if you want a site that feels expressive without losing clarity:
↳ amylalai.com by Amy La  
↳ keyavadgama.com by Keya Vadgama  
↳ helin.design by Helin Kıl  
↳ airladesigns.com by Airla Fan  

If you’re aiming for a portfolio that puts your work front and center, these examples are worth studying.

What do you think about the examples? 

🏷️ Save this post for later
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#UXPortfolio #FramerPartner #BuildWithFramer #DesignPortfolio #Framer

Which level are you at?

Portfolio struggles by level 👇
👶 Juniors - No real projects
👩🏼‍🦰 Mids - “Not senior enough”
👵🏻 Seniors - Everything under NDA

Different levels, but the same thought.
“I don’t know what to show”

Here’s the shift 👇
Start with one story you can tell.

• Make it clear
• Make it yours
• Make it real

You don’t need a perfect project.
You need a strong narrative and a structure that supports it.

That’s exactly what I teach inside my UX Portfolio Course and what my Framer portfolio template is built for: 
www.uxportfolio.co

Portfolio limits don’t disappear with experience. You just learn how to work with them.

If you’re stuck, comment or DM me and I’ll try to give you one actionable tip 💛

Let’s build your portfolio in 2026 💪

#UXPortfolio #UXDesigner

What is missing from most UX design presentations?


Most designers still tell UX stories like this:
1️⃣ Here is the research
2️⃣ Here is the UI
Two separate worlds that are not connected.

The problem is that stakeholders will not make this connection themselves. They will question your decisions, share their preferences, and compare your screens to competitors. They see insights on one slide and screens on another, but they never see the tension between them.

What they need is a story:
✅ Here is what users struggled with and why
✅ Here is how the design changed because of it
✅ Here is what it means for the business
That contrast is what makes a design decision believable.

This is also why evidence matters more than ever. Concrete user and business moments you can point to and say: "This is why we did this"

That is exactly why I love Optimal’s new user interviews tool.
It turns long user interviews into highlight reels, themes, and quotes. So instead of defending your UI, you let user evidence do the talking.

And that is the kind of story that will help you justify your design decisions in 2026 when AI is everywhere.

Check out Optimal’s new AI user interviews tool ➡️ https://lnkd.in/evFwv2eN

🏷️ Save this post for future reference
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❤️ Follow for more about UX storytelling

#OptimalPartner #Optimal #UXStorytelling

Stop defending your designs

Your portfolio story sounds like everyone else's.


And I can tell within 30 seconds of opening it.

I've analyzed 1000+ portfolios, taught 800+ designers, reviewed work from screening candidates to mentorship sessions to helping designers land better roles.

The same phrases appear everywhere:
↳ "Intuitive experiences"
↳ "Complex problems"
↳ "Strategic designer"
↳ "Empowering users"
When everyone says it, it means nothing.

Senior designers also fall into this trap, even though they're not bad designers.
Storytelling is just a different skill.

Here's what I've observed:
↳ Many organisations have low UX maturity (no mentors, no role models)
↳ We focus on outputs, not explaining our reasoning
↳ Expectations changed and showing screens isn't enough anymore
↳ AI made it worse, everyone uses ChatGPT for descriptions
I went through this myself. Started learning storytelling through content creation and still learning.

Before, showing screens and knowing Double Diamond was enough. Now you need to show business impact, constraints, trade-offs. You need to explain why you made specific decisions, not just what you designed.

Because when your storytelling is generic, you can:
↳ Struggle to land interviews and get job offers
↳ End up at companies with low UX maturity
↳ Struggle to make an impact in a company

Your ability to influence decisions, at work or during a recruitment process, highly depends on how well you tell your story. Of course, there is more to it and all the circumstances you can't impact, but when it comes to your portfolio story, you own it. Combine generic storytelling with weak positioning and visuals, and you get stuck.

Check out this carousel for 9 principles to make your portfolio story unique.
Each one has specific actions you can apply today.

➡️ For more sign up to my free newsletter: https://lnkd.in/dp8Dgp9d

Be honest. How generic does your portfolio sound right now? 😃

🏷️ Save this for your next design presentation
❤️ Follow for mode about UX storytelling
📤 Share it with your design buddy

#UXStorytelling #DesignPortfolio

This is why hiring managers skip your portfolio

Some portfolios communicate more than projects. They communicate taste and invites you to experience their sites.

For designers with visual, motion, or interaction-focused profiles, this approach works especially well. The website itself becomes part of the work, not just a container for it. Because for these roles, hiring managers are paying attention to how things feel.
↳ The rhythm
↳ The flow
↳ The level of craft

What stands out in these examples:
✅ Strong visual impact
✅ Motion that adds meaning
✅ Layouts that feel intentional
✅ A clear and consistent design point of view

All of these portfolios were built in Framer and are great references if you want a site that feels expressive while staying readable and structured:
↳ eugenewan.art
↳ wildyriftian.com by WILDY RIFTIAN
↳ oscarpecher.com
↳ pixelwrld.co

If you want your portfolio to feel more like a creative expression than a generic layout, these are worth exploring.

➡️ Links to previous episodes in the comments
🏷️ Save this post for later
📤 Share with your design buddy
❤️ Follow for more about portfolios

#FramerPartner #BuildWithFramer #DesignPortfolio

How to make your AI projects shine in your portfolio?

AI is showing up in more and more design portfolios. But not all projects are presented well. Having AI work to show is just the starting point. You also need to know how to talk about it so your skills and impact stand out. Present yourself as a thoughtful designer who uses AI with purpose, not as someone rushing to showcase it.

AI is still abstract, so before focusing on putting a portfolio together around it, make sure you understand the fundamentals. You still need to show that your work is intentional.

I’ve collected 10 examples of AI projects from real designer portfolios, and what they highlight, to help you present your own AI work with clarity and confidence:

miggyfajardo.com by Miggy Fajardo
niklas.space by niklas muhs
nicolearoberts.com by Nicole Roberts
nicobrien.com by Nic O’Brien
rachelchen.tech by Rachel Chen
sujankhadgi.com by Sujan Khadgi

And if you want help with your portfolio, join my course
➡️ uxportfolio.co

Have questions about AI in portfolios? Ask in the comments 😊

#AIPortfolio #AIDesign #UXPortfolio

Guide to Showing AI Skills in Your Portfolio

Portfolio strategy isn’t about the best tools, layouts, or projects.

It’s about your designer profile. Your identity.

Most designers get stuck here:
↳ What should I show in my portfolio?
↳ Branding, UX, websites?
↳ Do I need a case study?
↳ Should I use Behance or Framer?

These questions need to be answered too, but they shouldn't be answered first because they're not portfolio strategy. Strategy comes with trade-offs. And for that, you need some data. And that data comes from you.

You need to define who you are as a designer.

Use my PPF framework for this:
1️⃣ P – Past experiences
2️⃣ P – Present skills
3️⃣ F – Future goals

Details in the video 🍿

Some examples:
↳ Startups → show 0→1 work
↳ Agencies → show range (branding, websites, UX)
↳ Fintech → show fintech problems (dashboards, money flows)
↳ Product organisation → show redesigns

Your portfolio is not a report of everything you've done. It’s actually more about showing less and knowing what to not show.

Design portfolio is a positioning tool that shows signals. And those signals lead to similar opportunities. So show what you could and would like to work on next.

More about portfolios here ➡️ www.uxportfolio.co

🍿 This is the design career series to help you build a career you love & earn what you deserve
❤️ Follow for more about design job search
📤 Share it with your design buddy
🏷️ Save this post for future reference

—-
Examples shown in the video:
https://www.ruby-wu.com/
https://danial.si/
https://www.dantase.com/
https://cursor.com/
https://lnkd.in/eUne8p6U
Framer template from www.uxportfolio.co/

#UXPortfolio #Designer #DesignPortfolio

A designer reached out to me last week with a problem I wasn't expecting.


Someone copied their case study, not referenced, but copied.
They asked if I could write something about protecting your work.

So let's talk about it.


Internet, AI, curation, social media, everything is accessible and shareable.
You publish your portfolio online, then someone takes it and shows it as theirs.
You write a post, same thing happens.
And then there's AI remixing content in seconds.

There's only so much we can do about it.
But the best place to start is with yourself.


So here are 8 principles I created for ethical portfolio building:

1️⃣ Look outside portfolios for inspiration. Brands, landing pages, photographers, architects, writers, museums
2️⃣ Mix your sources. The more diverse your inspiration, the more original your output
3️⃣ Use portfolios to study structure and strategy, not to copy visuals or words
4️⃣ Steal the technique, not the execution
5️⃣ Test different portfolio formats. Build a public site for visibility, but share deeper case studies separately in decks
6️⃣ You control access, you control the audience
7️⃣ Keep some things back. Show enough to tell the story, not enough to hand it over
8️⃣ Accept that building a portfolio is uncomfortable. The stress, the doubts, the blank page. Sit with them, then get back to work


Because the truth is:
❌ You don't need to have the same portfolio as other designers
❌ You don't need the same story arc, skills, or project types
❌ You don't need a website (a slide deck can work too)
❌ You don't need to follow the same strategy as everyone else

You just need to start thinking about yourself.
Not about others. Not about what other designers achieved.
Everyone has their own path. Focus on shaping yours.


And believe me, I know the feeling:
↳ I finished 2 universities, because that's what everyone else was doing
↳ I studied architecture first, not art, because it seemed more reasonable
↳ I got an internship at a big architecture office in Japan, because working for big brands seemed like success
↳ I made my first UX portfolio with long case studies and research upfront, because that's what most designers were doing
↳ I worked my ass off without reflecting, because this is what everyone else was doing in my culture

Until I started burning out:
↳ I started job hopping
↳ I quit one job after 3 months
↳ I didn't feel fulfilled, not even 10%
↳ I felt miserable
Until one day, I was pushed out of a job and finally took a pause.


Building a portfolio you're proud of takes time. 
Finding career fulfillment takes time.

Behind many successful designers, there's:
↳ Process
↳ Determination
↳ Multiple failures

As Ali Abdaal said in his productivity book, make the process fun 💃

How are you building your design career? Share your principles 💬

#UXPortfolio #EthicalDesign #Designer

Not every design portfolio needs big visual expression. 

Sometimes it’s the small decisions that make a site memorable. These portfolios keep things simple, but add personality through details.

↳ An interesting navigation choice
↳ A subtle layout shift
↳ A small interactive element
↳ A tiny visual accent that makes the site feel considered

For product design roles, this balance works well. The work stays clear and readable, but the site still feels crafted.

What stands out in presented examples:
✅ Clean layouts with one intentional twist
✅ Small interactions that add character
✅ Visual details that support the work
✅ A clear structure with room for personality

All of these portfolios were built in Framer and are great references if you want to add creativity without overdesigning your site.
↳ carlhauser.com
↳ caiguangxi.com
↳ somnath.framer.website by Somanath Mahanta
↳ alejandromejias.com.au by Alejandro Mejias

If you’re looking for ideas that elevate a simple portfolio, these are worth studying.

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The Battle

Olly Meakings

Aneta Kmiecik

Followers

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Performance ScoreOlly Meakings's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreAneta Kmiecik's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

Olly Meakings

Aneta Kmiecik

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Olly Meakings's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreAneta Kmiecik's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreOlly Meakings's LinkedIn Performance