90% of hiring managers consider portfolios important when evaluating UX candidates. Your UI/UX design portfolio isn't just a collection of projects: it's often the deciding factor in whether you get an interview.
The 11 portfolios below represent different approaches that all work: minimal layouts, bold animations, process-heavy case studies, experimental navigation, and AI-powered features. Each demonstrates specific principles you can apply to your own portfolio, whether you're a design student preparing for your first job or a career switcher showcasing new skills.
1. Simon Pan: The Case Study Gold Standard
Simon Pan's portfolio represents what the industry describes as the "golden standard of what hiring managers are looking for," per Case Study Club. His portfolio is renowned for detailed case studies including Uber Magic 2.0 and Amazon Prime Music—projects that demonstrate sophisticated process documentation and measurable impact. Pan's work exemplifies the problem-solution-outcome framework that aligns with hiring manager priorities.
What makes it work: His case studies clearly articulate the user problem, document the research and design process, and present measurable results.
Key elements: Clear problem statements open each case study. The process documentation shows actual design decisions—not just polished final screens. Measurable outcomes and metrics anchor every project conclusion.
Building approach: Professional custom design, reflected in his renowned case studies for Uber Magic 2.0 and Amazon Prime Music.
2. Sarah Lauchli: Process Documentation Done Right
Sarah Lauchli's portfolio shows what hiring managers mean when they ask to see your process.
What makes it work: Her case studies include user flows, wireframes, and detailed methodology documentation. Webflow's analysis notes her portfolio for impeccable typography and color choices along with a lightweight contact form and tool icons that indicate which software she used per project—details that communicate professional fluency and design competency.
Key elements: Visual hierarchy guides readers through complex case studies. Lightweight contact forms reduce friction for potential employers. Project thumbnails on the homepage let visitors quickly assess a designer's range before diving deeper.
Building approach: Custom build with careful attention to typography and spacing.
3. Caleb Ixca: AI-Powered Interactive Experience
Caleb Ixca's portfolio demonstrates what's possible when you combine strong UX design with cutting-edge technology built entirely in Lovable.
What makes it work: The portfolio features an AI chatbot assistant that answers questions about Caleb's work, skills, and case studies—creating an interactive experience that stands out from static portfolios. As co-founder of Persona X and former designer at Affirm, Caleb built this portfolio to showcase both his design thinking and his ability to leverage AI tools. His detailed Medium article documents the entire build process, including how he integrated OpenAI assistants with context-specific knowledge for each case study.
Key elements: Split-screen layout with introduction and live AI chat. Long-form case studies presented in article format. Custom AI assistants trained on his specific work and methodology. Integration with Supabase for backend functionality.
Building approach: Built with Lovable using natural language prompts, demonstrating rapid iteration from concept to deployed portfolio in days rather than weeks.
4. Bryn Taylor: Modern Minimalism That Works
Bryn Taylor's portfolio proves that clean design can still feel distinctive.
What makes it work: Generous white space, clean typography, and subtle animations create a professional impression without distracting from the work itself. Webflow's showcase highlights his portfolio's simple intuitive layout and clear CTAs, demonstrating modern minimalism done right.
Key elements: Subtle micro-interactions that enhance rather than distract. Straightforward navigation that prioritizes discovering case studies quickly. Consistency in visual treatment across all projects.
Building approach: Webflow, using the platform's animation capabilities for micro-interactions.
5. Will Dzierson: RAG-Powered Portfolio Intelligence
Will Dzierson's portfolio showcases 25+ years of UX and AI expertise through an innovative RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) chatbot built with Lovable.
What makes it work: The portfolio doesn't just display case studies—it lets visitors ask questions and get intelligent responses based on Will's actual work, projects, and experience. His comprehensive Medium guide walks through building an AI-powered portfolio using Lovable, Supabase, and OpenAI embeddings. As a design leader who's worked at Google, Salesforce, and The White House Presidential Innovation Fellowship, Will demonstrates how AI can enhance portfolio presentation.
Key elements: Content management system for projects and blog posts. AI chatbot using OpenAI embeddings for semantic search. Backend integration with Supabase for data storage. Professional presentation of complex healthcare and AI projects.
Building approach: Built with Lovable as the primary development platform, integrated with Supabase backend and OpenAI for intelligent chat capabilities.
6. Karolis Kosas: Minimalist Precision
Karolis Kosas's portfolio demonstrates that minimalist design can showcase deep expertise.
What makes it work: A stark black-and-white color scheme lets project work take center stage. Each case study follows a consistent vertical layout with side-by-side deliverables and product images showing design in context. The minimalist approach reflects his product design philosophy—clear, unadorned presentation that prioritizes substance over decoration.
Key elements: Clean visual hierarchy that guides through case studies effortlessly. Detailed process documentation for projects at CUJO, YPlan, and MUBI. Professional presentation that demonstrates both design skill and strategic thinking.
Building approach: Custom build with intentional restraint, reflecting years of experience at Stripe and now OpenAI.
7. Nicolas Grenié: Developer Advocate Showcase
Nicolas Grenié's portfolio presents 15+ years of building, hacking, and scaling projects through a clean, developer-focused design built with Lovable.
What makes it work: As featured on Made with Lovable, Nicolas's portfolio effectively showcases his work as a developer advocate, community builder, and AI tinkerer. The portfolio highlights side projects like Bnbicons and HackBarna alongside professional work, demonstrating the breadth of his technical capabilities.
Key elements: Clean presentation of technical projects and side ventures. Developer-focused aesthetic that appeals to technical audiences. Clear navigation through diverse project types. Professional credibility established through work history and community contributions.
Building approach: Built with Lovable, demonstrating the platform's capability for developer and technical portfolios.
8. Matthew P Munger: Retro System Interface & Playful Nostalgia
Matthew P Munger's portfolio takes a completely different approach: a classic macOS throwback design.
What makes it work: The retro system interface creates instant memorability. Rather than competing on polish with thousands of minimal portfolios, Munger chose distinction through a classic macOS throwback design with a unique UX. Webflow's showcase notes that Matthew, a senior product expert at Webflow, created a unique UX that lets visitors browse a system that's since been overtaken by more modern design. The playful nostalgic style works because it's executed with genuine craft, not irony.
Key elements: Clear problem-solving demonstrated through design process. Process transparency showing research, decisions, and methodology. Memorable visual concept that differentiates from standard portfolio layouts.
Building approach: Webflow, using the platform's flexibility for unconventional layouts.
9. Olga Rody: Accessible Minimalism
Olga Rody's portfolio demonstrates how large typography and minimalist design create an accessible, professional experience.
What makes it work: Webflow's analysis highlights how Olga uses large text and a minimalist design that takes center stage on her sleek homepage. She displays projects in a large grid with images that inform visitors of what to expect before they click, using a natural color scheme that prioritizes accessibility with excellent font-background contrast.
Key elements: Giant fonts that clearly communicate designer identity. Project grid layout with preview images. Natural color scheme optimized for accessibility. Measurable outcomes including usability testing results and survey answers in case studies.
Building approach: Webflow, demonstrating strong UX principles through portfolio design itself.
10. Robin Noguier: Interactive Animation Excellence
Robin Noguier's portfolio showcases interactive design prowess through sophisticated animations and unique navigation patterns.
What makes it work: As an interactive designer who's worked with clients including Google, Facebook, Uber, Mercedes-Benz, Dior, and Chanel, Robin's portfolio won Awwwards Site of the Day for its creative use of 3D elements, WebGL, and React. The portfolio demonstrates technical skill through execution rather than just presentation.
Key elements: Sophisticated animation and interaction design. 3D visual elements using WebGL and Three.js. Case studies that show depth of client work. Creative navigation patterns that demonstrate interactive design capabilities.
Building approach: Custom build using React, Three.js, and GLSL shaders, showcasing advanced frontend development skills.
11. Karina Sirqueira: Visual Gallery Approach
Karina Sirqueira's portfolio takes a gallery-first approach that emphasizes stunning visuals and creative exploration.
What makes it work: Working at Airbnb with previous experience at Work&Co, Karina's portfolio won Awwwards recognition for its innovative approach. Case Study Club notes her portfolio is "filled with stunning graphics, typography and screams creativity"—showcasing work for Apple, MTA, and other major clients through visual-first presentation.
Key elements: Gallery-style layout that emphasizes visual impact. Unique navigation patterns including vertical scrolling that feels horizontal. Minimal but impactful case study presentations. Typography and motion that demonstrate design sensibility.
Building approach: Custom build with development collaboration, featuring innovative scrolling patterns and visual design.
How to Build Your Portfolio
After studying these examples, you'll need to choose how to actually build your portfolio. The options range from no-code platforms to custom development, with trade-offs at each level.
Template-Based Builders
Template-based builders (Squarespace, Adobe Portfolio) offer the fastest path to a live portfolio. Uxcel's guide describes Squarespace as a go-to platform for UX designers looking to build stunning UX designer portfolio sites with an intuitive website editor that lets you focus on building a UX designer portfolio without the technical know-how. The trade-off: less customization and portfolios that may look similar to other users.
Design-Focused Platforms
Design-focused platforms (Webflow, Framer) provide more customization with moderate learning curves. Many portfolios featured in showcases use Webflow, with the platform dominating among curated design examples.
AI-Powered Builders
AI-powered builders like Lovable offer a middle path: custom portfolios without coding from scratch. Three portfolios in this article—Caleb Ixca's AI-powered experience, Will Dzierson's RAG chatbot, and Nicolas Grenié's developer showcase—were all built with Lovable, demonstrating the platform's range from interactive AI features to clean professional presentations.
Lovable's portfolio templates—including Verdure, Ivory, Folio, and Sonder—provide production-ready foundations with structured case study layouts, smooth animations, and mobile-responsive design. Visual Edits, launched in February 2025, lets you click and modify interface elements directly—adjusting sizing, color, or text without writing AI prompts for every small change. This makes iterating on your UI/UX design portfolio feel more like working in Figma than writing code.
This approach to vibe coding—describing what you want in natural language and having AI generate the code—lets designers focus on portfolio content rather than technical implementation. For designers who want code ownership or plan to work with developers later, GitHub integration exports and syncs your project so you're not locked into any platform.
Custom Code Development
Custom code development provides maximum control but requires significant technical investment. A practitioner consensus makes this clear: "If you are asking me if UX Designers should hand code then I would say no, that is for the front end dev part of your team to do." This reflects the consensus that hand-coding is not where UX designers should focus their efforts when building portfolios.
Platform choice matters far less than content quality. Hiring managers evaluating your portfolio are looking at your UX process and problem-solving—not whether you hand-coded your site.
Build Your Portfolio Your Way
These portfolios prove that there's no single "right" approach to a UI/UX design portfolio. What matters is demonstrating your thinking process and showing measurable impact—whether through minimal aesthetics, bold experimentation, or AI-powered interactivity.
Simon Pan's process-heavy documentation works. Karolis Kosas's minimalist approach works. Matthew P Munger's retro macOS interface works. Caleb Ixca's AI chatbot works. Will Dzierson's RAG-powered assistant works. Karina Sirqueira's visual gallery works.
Focus your energy on two to three excellent case studies following the Problem→Approach→Process→Artifacts→Impact→Learnings structure. Include measurable outcomes where possible. Be explicit about your specific role and contributions.
Then pick a platform that matches your timeline and comfort level, and launch. You can always rebuild later—but you can't get interviews without a live portfolio.
These portfolios prove that your UI/UX design portfolio's presentation matters as much as the work itself. If you're ready to build a portfolio that stands out, try Lovable's portfolio templates and customize with Visual Edits. Build interactive case studies, custom animations, AI-powered features, and integrated contact forms—ship a professional portfolio this week instead of spending months coding or settling for generic templates.
