Use a website builder to start your portfolio
Your portfolio is how you’ll share your UX design work with the world. With a quick glance at your portfolio, you want recruiters to immediately understand who you are and your strengths as a UX designer!
Using a website builder is a great way to showcase your UX design skills and get started when you’re new to the field. There are many great website builders available to support you in the journey of building your very own portfolio. The website builder you use to build your portfolio website is entirely your choice. For now, we’ll introduce four options that you can use to build your portfolio website: Squarespace, Webflow, Wix, and Google Sites. Feel free to choose one of these website builders, or another one, depending on what works best for your needs and goals.
Choose the right platform for you
As you explore the four options for website builders that are listed below, keep these questions in mind to help you find the website builder that best meets your unique needs.
- Do I know how to code, or should I use a website builder that doesn’t require coding experience?
- Is it a low-cost or free option?
- Does it offer customizable templates?
- Does it provide flexibility and complete control over design?
Squarespace
Squarespace is a great option for UX designers who are new to website building. When you sign up, Squarespace shows a variety of templates that you can easily customize to your liking, including color schemes and fonts. You can visit this page for a full list of Squarespace’s features. You can also check out the Getting Started guide on Squarespace for additional portfolio tips.
As a part of the Google UX Design Certificate, you might be eligible for a discounted price on a Squarespace account. Visit the dedicated landing page on Squarespace to learn more. Or, you can create a standard Squarespace account.
Webflow
Webflow is a creative tool designed for flexibility and is a strong website builder if you want to make a truly unique portfolio. You’ll have full control over your website’s design and a blank canvas to build upon. Having a basic level of HTML and CSS will help you with the Webflow learning curve. If you don’t have any experience with coding, you can visit Webflow University to find lessons on specific things you want to learn.
If you’d like to create your portfolio with the help of a template, you can check out Webflow’s Template Marketplace. Or, if you’d like to learn portfolio tips from Webflow, check out this Webflow University course.
As a part of the Google UX Design Certificate, you might be eligible for a discounted price on a Webflow account. Visit the dedicated landing page on Webflow to learn more.
Wix
Wix is a strong choice to create your portfolio website without needing to code. Wix is known for its intuitive technology and user-friendly drag and drop editor, so you can have your portfolio available online in no time.
Wix offers customizable designer-made templates and design features that give you creative freedom to build the portfolio you want. If you’re considering Wix as the website builder to create your portfolio and want some inspiration, check out these UX portfolios built on Wix. Plus, if you sign up for a yearly Premium Plan with Wix, you are eligible for a free custom domain for one year.
Visit this dedicated landing page on Wix to learn more.
Google Sites
Google Sites is Google’s free platform for building websites. It’s a great option for anyone looking for a simple and affordable way to build an online portfolio. Google Sites offers a variety of useful features, like easy collaboration and sharing, as well as storage right in your Google Drive for easy access. Check out this list of Google Sites’ features to learn more.
Visit the Google Sites landing page to get started building your free website, no coding required.
Maintain your portfolio
Your portfolio is the ultimate statement of your work as a UX designer. As part of this certificate program, you’ll create three UX design projects, which you can feature in case studies on your website.
Once you begin creating projects on-the-job as a UX designer, you’ll update your portfolio website to showcase these new projects, as well. But for now, all you need to do is select the website builder you’d like to use, and start with the basics of setting up your account. There will be more details about how to build out each part of your portfolio website as you make your way through this certificate program, so stay tuned!
Sources: Google UX Design Professional Certificate
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