This practice project/Client brief is the third one in this series from UX Design Mastery after the one for a Blog website and an eCommerce project.
Design portfolio projects for UX and UI designers
Included in each design brief is the following:
- Objectives (What is REQUIRED by the client. This part usually trips designers up as they go off designing what is not required)
- Timeline (For this to be realistic each brief has a timeline that is as close to real-world work as possible)
- Platform(Where your designs will live. Understanding these platforms will give a well-considered solution)
- Target audience (Users always come first and the design must accommodate the target audience’s pain points)
- References (If you are not sure where to start, clients normally give a set of examples or references they like. The closer the design solution is to the references, the fewer revisions a designer will have to do)
- Deliverables (Most importantly how the solution should be delivered. These represent what a well-detailed portfolio case study looks like so hit it out of the park)
- Recruiter advice (Portfolio advice from creative directors, CEOs and leading design creatives from the biggest companies)
A little about me
Creating a portfolio project is hard work.
I still remember when I did not have a single project in my portfolio that would really make me stand out and get noticed by recruiters.
I had just left my job as a Java Developer and was about to put all my effort into starting a design career.
One of the very first successful projects I created was a conceptual mobile app for a local airline. I had recently been on a trip which was frustratingly delayed and poorly communicated to passengers.
So I decided to creatively express my opinions through a conceptual project and it was responsible for me getting hired for my first design job.
Its also my most appreciated project .
I hope this travel app project you work on, provides you with as many opportunities as I have received.
Let’s get into it
Design Portfolio Project 3: Travel App
Client Brief
Client: Choose any travel brand of your liking
Timeline: 1–2 Weeks
Objectives
Create a mobile app design that can:
• Allow a user to book a flight, a hotel and car on a specific date for different destinations
• Find the best deals on flights, hotels and car hires
• Ability to select holiday activities
• Organize all travel plans into one itinerary
• Notifications
Platform
Please design a travel app for either iOS or Android. So we require mobile screens. Pay attention to
iOS guidelines
https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/ios/visual-design/adaptivity-and-layout/
Android guidelines
https://material.io/design/usability/accessibility.html#hierarchy
Target Audience
References
Please conduct some research on the following travel apps that we love and get ideas for functionality and features to include
Deliverables
• Research (refer to references provided)
• Highlight 3 enhancements or unique features you have included to make our app stand out and solve user pain points
• Sketches of initial ideas
• Wireframes
• Visual mockups screens of
⁃ App Onboarding
⁃ Home screen where a user can book a Hotel, a Flight, a Car or an activity in a popular city
⁃ Listing page of Hotels
⁃ Map view showing hotels location
⁃ Itinerary screen
⁃ Possible notifications
• Results section: Feedback from testing with 5 random people
• Fonts: Brand related
• Colors: Brand related
• Link to this project
Nice to have
Video walkthrough (Screen record using QuickTime an Invision prototype interacation)
Pro-tip
Go through an entire booking experience to understand how the app is design.
Advice from recruiters
I wish more portfolio websites included little descriptions of what the designer’s role was in a specific project, or even pointed out some specific problems or personal thoughts about aspects of their designs. Too many portfolios now are just vanity shots and client name-dropping without actually communicating what was done.
James Cabrera, Senior Product Designer, Refinery29
Going the extra mile and making sure it’s easy to consume, well-presented, and filled with helpful context about your projects tells us a lot about your communication skills. Ideally a portfolio should be more than just a collection of pretty thumbnails and mockups — it should speak to your problem solving skills.
Ryan Le Roux, Metalab
If you’re just starting out as a designer, a good alternative to unsolicited redesigns are personal projects. These self-initiated projects are a great way to build up your design and product skills, while also putting something out into the world for people to use. You’ll learn a ton from the experience of launching something and the feedback you’ll get from your users will definitely make you a better designer.
Elyse Viotto, Shopify
If you are interested in