5 strategies for building a UX Research portfolio without work experience
It’s a classic “chicken-and-egg” problem. Which comes first: your first UX Research role, or your first experiences doing UX Research? With many job descriptions asking for some combination of work experience or case studies, it can seem a daunting — even impossible — paradox for folks seeking a first role. The good news is that you can develop a compelling portfolio of case studies even before starting a job. While you can’t fake years of experience, you can bolster the experiences you already have and simulate experiences close to those needed for a new role. And getting hands-on experience with practice projects is a valuable early indicator that you’re suited to doing the kind of work you’ve been considering for a career.
In this article, we’ll look at five ways to crack the problem, listed in a roughly ascending order of lesser to greater difficulty or time commitment. Several strategies involve raising your hand for volunteer work — which might feel like a step backwards, but one that will hopefully enable you to take two steps forwards. Whichever methods you choose, I encourage you to work with a mentor in the field who can evaluate your work and guide you in the right direction.
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