Tired of stressing over your UX portfolio? Discover smart ways to showcase your value clearly, even if you’re buried in NDAs or complex enterprise projects. Learn how to simplify your story, prioritize content strategically, and confidently communicate your UX expertise without falling into portfolio overwhelm.

How do you turn years of complicated UX work into a clear, concise story that hiring managers actually want to read?

This week, I welcome back Aneta Kmiecik, who has made it her mission to help mid-to-senior UX designers tackle the common nightmare of portfolio creation. Having transitioned from architecture to UX herself, she has a deep understanding of the challenges, especially when it comes to showcasing complex, NDA-heavy projects or navigating roles with less visually striking outcomes.

We explore practical strategies for creating concise, impactful portfolios without lengthy traditional case studies. She introduces the powerful concept of "project snapshots," a straightforward way to quickly and effectively highlight the core value and outcomes of your UX work. We discuss essential habits for proactively capturing your work as it occurs, rather than scrambling when you suddenly need to apply for a job.

If you’ve ever felt portfolio anxiety or struggled to clearly showcase your real UX value, tune in for actionable insights to transform your portfolio approach and confidently land your next role.

Topics:
• 02:42 The Stress of Creating Portfolios
• 02:57 Aneta’s Journey and Expertise
• 03:50 Actionable Advice for UX Portfolios
• 09:03 The Importance of Work Journals
• 14:24 Crafting Case Studies for Your Next Job
• 28:58 Common Mistakes in UX Portfolios
• 30:53 Common Portfolio Mistakes
• 31:57 Alternative Ways to Showcase Work
• 33:10 Creating Project Snapshots
• 38:27 Choosing the Right Platform
• 45:10 Final Thoughts and Advice

Helpful Links:
• Connect with Aneta on LinkedIn
• Follow Aneta on Instagram
• Aneta’s UX Portfolio Course

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Ok web designers. Let’s talk about the “c” word—creative burnout.

You’re working on a site for a really big client, but between resourcing, feedback, tight budgets and even tighter deadlines—it doesn’t make the cut. Wix Studio helps close that gap, so you can deliver your vision with less friction. Built for agencies and enterprises, you get total creative control over every last pixel. With no-code animations, AI-powered tools, reusable design assets, advanced, intuitive layout tools and a Figma to Wix Studio integration, you can design the way you want to and deliver when you need to.

And if you’re worried about the learning curve eating into time you don’t have—don’t be. Wix Studio is intuitive by design, so your entire team can hit the ground running.

For your next project, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wixstudio.com

Explore how psychology drives effective UX design. Learn practical methods for integrating psychological principles into your design process and gain insights into ethical considerations and storytelling techniques.

Why do some apps just "feel right," while others completely miss the mark?

Maybe psychology is the missing ingredient in your UX toolkit.

Today, I sit down with a UX veteran who has spent years decoding the hidden psychology behind successful design. My guest has crafted user experiences for powerhouse brands like Estée Lauder and Sleep Number, translating user psychology into multimillion-dollar successes. We discuss the critical psychological principles that UX designers often overlook—principles that separate the unforgettable from the easily ignored.

We explore why something as subtle as the direction of a model’s gaze can drastically change user behavior, how color psychology isn't just a theory but is measurable through rigorous A/B tests, and how storytelling shapes user engagement and stakeholder buy-in. We also offer practical advice for UX designers on ethically using psychological insights without descending into manipulative dark patterns.

If you've ever questioned why users behave as they do, or how you can leverage human psychology to create better designs, this episode will equip you with powerful insights and actionable techniques. Don't miss this eye-opening conversation that could fundamentally change how you approach UX design.

Topics:

• 02:34 - The Importance of Psychology in UX Design

• 04:01 - Psychology in Design: Real-World Applications

• 05:20 - The Role of Color in UX Design

• 06:47 - Understanding User Behavior Through Testing

• 08:01 - Ethics in UX Design

• 09:33 - The Power of Storytelling in UX

• 17:10 - The Role of Faces and Eye Tracking in Design

• 23:06 - The Importance of Visual Design Principles

• 33:49 - Storytelling: A Fundamental Human Experience

• 40:13 - Book Review: Bending Reality

• 40:54 - Storytelling in UX Design

• 41:41 - Practical Applications of Storytelling at Work

• 42:36 - Effective Communication Strategies

• 45:13 - Psychology and Gender in the Workplace

• 50:23 - Ethical Implications in Design

Helpful Links:

• ⁠Connect with Mara on LinkedIn⁠

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Support our sponsors!

Ok web designers. Let’s talk about the “c” word—creative burnout.

You’re working on a site for a really big client, but between resourcing, feedback, tight budgets and even tighter deadlines—it doesn’t make the cut. Wix Studio helps close that gap, so you can deliver your vision with less friction. Built for agencies and enterprises, you get total creative control over every last pixel. With no-code animations, AI-powered tools, reusable design assets, advanced, intuitive layout tools and a Figma to Wix Studio integration, you can design the way you want to and deliver when you need to.

And if you’re worried about the learning curve eating into time you don’t have—don’t be. Wix Studio is intuitive by design, so your entire team can hit the ground running.

For your next project, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wixstudio.com

Building a design system is the easy part—getting your team to adopt it is the real challenge. We dive into the hidden elements that make design systems truly successful.

What if the real blocker to your design system isn’t tooling or design, but trust?

This week, I talk with Justin Crews, a senior product designer with a background in film, systems thinking, and complex enterprise UX. We dig into what it actually takes to build design systems that people want to use, not just systems that look good in a pitch deck.

Justin shares hard-won lessons from his consulting and in-house roles, where he has helped scale multi-product systems. We discuss the mindset shift from dictating to documenting, and why building alignment across teams is more important than enforcing rules. One of my favorite insights: your design system isn’t a product—it’s a process.

If your components are collecting dust or you’ve hit a wall with adoption, this episode gives you the strategy and language to rethink what design systems are really for. Hit play and learn how to build systems people actually want to use.

Topics:
• 02:35 – The Challenge of Design System Adoption
• 04:39 – Understanding the Role of Design Systems
• 08:17 – When to Start Building a Design System
• 18:41 – Documenting vs. Dictating in Design Systems
• 24:58 – Managing Stakeholder Expectations
• 28:24 – Building a Design System from the Ground Up
• 40:13 – Building Team Adoption for New Tools
• 40:57 – Creating Designer-Friendly Components
• 41:47 – Championing and Showcasing the System
• 44:22 – Stakeholder Management and Engagement
• 46:42 – Measuring Success of Design Systems

Helpful Links:
• Connect with Justin on LinkedIn
• justinnn.com

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Support our sponsors!

Ok web designers. Let’s talk about the “c” word—creative burnout.

You’re working on a site for a really big client, but between resourcing, feedback, tight budgets and even tighter deadlines—it doesn’t make the cut. Wix Studio helps close that gap, so you can deliver your vision with less friction. Built for agencies and enterprises, you get total creative control over every last pixel. With no-code animations, AI-powered tools, reusable design assets, advanced, intuitive layout tools and a Figma to Wix Studio integration, you can design the way you want to and deliver when you need to.

And if you’re worried about the learning curve eating into time you don’t have—don’t be. Wix Studio is intuitive by design, so your entire team can hit the ground running.

For your next project, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wixstudio.com