Things to check before launching your Digital Portfolio
When making a digital portfolio, using a website builder tool is pretty much the go-to way nowadays. Of course, you can have a one-page website or PDF as your portfolio. But a website with multiple pages will allow a hiring manager to better understand you and your skills. We've covered the basics of what to include when creating a digital portfolio. But once you have your website up and running, what must be checked to make sure your website is user-friendly? This helpful guide will show you 6 things you must analyse before posting your site and sending it to potential employers.
1. Keep it simple.
First things first, you must understand WHY people are viewing your website.
In the case of a digital portfolio, someone would visit your website to learn more about your skills, get to know you, or see if you're the right fit for a role. So, when you are designing your digital portfolio, you must keep these two factors in mind. This should frame how you structure your website. Strive to provide answers on what makes you unique and why you are a perfect marketing candidate.
From a user design perspective (UX), your portfolio should be simple. You don't want to overwhelm your visitor with illegible text or unnecessary graphics which interrupt their scroll. Because if they can't find the information they want, they will click off. To prevent this, make sure:
● You have a clear brand colour palette.
● Only add images or graphics when they are necessary.
● Use a clear, legible typeface.
2. Easy to navigate.
As with anything, before you start making your digital portfolio, you must first plan how it will be laid out.
It should be easy for a visitor to know where to click next. You can make this simpler for them by having simple navigation.
There are many ways you can help a user get from A to B. But we would suggest:
● Keeping the structure clear by having your tabs at the top of the page.
● Including navigation in the footer.
● If you have uploaded many projects under different categories (for example, you have headers such as Digital PR / Copywriting / Content Creation, consider using breadcrumbs so visitors can remember their trail). Breadcrumbs are especially helpful as they'll allow a user to click back onto a previous category and explore more of your work!
● Using a search bar (if someone is looking to find out more about your digital PR capabilities, give them the option to quickly locate your digital PR section).
● Including links within your website copy to encourage a user to explore relevant pages of your website.
3. Keep it conventional.
Of course, your website needs to be original, but as seasoned internet users, we expect certain things from a website. We've grown accustomed to:
● The logo being at the top left or center of the page.
● The navigation is located at the top of the page.
● Having a clickable logo that brings us back to the homepage.
● Having links and buttons change colour when we hover over them.
And mobile visitors expect a website to be optimised for their device. So, make sure you have made the mobile version of your site responsive and user-friendly!
4. Visual hierarchy.
You must make sure that your initial landing page is engaging and has text that grabs a person's attention and encourages them to stay on the website.
The goal (and call to action) of a digital portfolio is to have the user get in contact with you. And with visual hierarchy, you want to organise your website elements so that users will be drawn to those elements first!
5. Consistency is crucial!
Your digital portfolio showcases your brand, so make sure your website is a window to your brand!
Use a strong colour palette, keep backgrounds the same and use consistent fonts throughout the site.
This will make it easy for a viewer to digest. Additionally, feel free to experiment with the layout of your site. Use common structures (e.g., having multiple thumbnails and blurbs on your blog) to help the user navigate and know what to expect from a page.
6. Keep your users at the heart of your design!
Your digital portfolio must have a user-centric design. And this list is a great place to check that you have the basic principles under wraps.
Once you have finished reading this blog post, open your digital portfolio in another tab and check your site against this guide to see if you can make any improvements!
However, when this is done, the best way to discover if your website is user-friendly or not is to get people to test it.
Can Lead Kinetics help?
If you’re looking for someone to review your digital portfolio, get in contact with James! He will review your portfolio and give you tips on how to improve. Check out his Rate my Portfolios videos to get inspiration on how to improve your own!
And for advice and suggestions on how to keep your digital portfolio optimised, make sure to follow us on LinkedIn, where we often share tips on how to improve your digital portfolio!