For design students, early-career designers and practitioners building a more deliberate process. Use individually or in a facilitated workshop. The example is illustrative; adapt the method to your context.
Work through the activity
01 · Choose the audience
Name the role or opportunity, likely reviewer and the capability you need to demonstrate. Avoid a portfolio that attempts to speak equally to everyone.
02 · Select the evidence
List the project problem, your role, collaborators, constraints, key decisions and available evidence. Mark confidential material and get permission before publishing it.
03 · Build the narrative
Outline context, problem, your contribution, alternatives, decisions, output, evaluation and reflection. Show why the work changed rather than displaying every artefact.
04 · Audit each claim
For every metric or result, record the source, period, your contribution and limitations. If results were not measured, state what was tested or learned instead.
05 · Test the story
Ask someone to review the case study briefly. Can they explain the problem, your contribution and one important decision? Record confusion, then revise the first screen or sequence.
Worked example
Illustrative workshop example: a student replaces a gallery of polished screens with a short account of the decision, prototype test and remaining uncertainty. No fabricated business impact is added.
Keep your worksheet
Branded editable worksheet (.html)
PDF worksheet · Plain-text worksheet
Your first 15 minutes
Pick one project and write the problem, your role and strongest decision in three sentences.
Come back in seven days
Bring what you made and what happened. Review your evidence, record one change, and choose your next exercise.
Review my practice ↗Discuss a facilitated team workshop →