Heads-Up! My profile is slightly different and what does a portfolio actually say? It’s not entirely transparent because I can of course put everything here, what I want and how I want.

Recently, I have had many conversations with potential teams and/or companies and I noticed that they always wanted to know the same thing. And I had the feeling that I had to prove myself? Then I thought, what else can I do? Let me make a page where all that is described and where you can find out more than enough about me. I also prefer to write this down because there is a big chance that I will forget it in a conversation out of enthusiasm.

Here we go..

As a UX Designer I love working hard and learning new things, but I hate repeating unnecessary things. #Lazy That’s why my portfolio is more about how I am and think as a person and a little less about what I’ve made. (Also because I’m partly bad at archiving and often find old work ugly) In a positive way, I like to start over.

So… that brings us to the most obvious question… “Tell us about yourself”

And then my head thinks…. What they’re really asking: What makes you the right person for this position? What sparked your interest in UX? Or what inspired you to pursue a career in UX design? I started with digital design at an early age and so I also went to study it because I thought it would make me better. NOPE! School didn’t teach me much, but it did teach me that I can learn everything by myself! On the internet!  And by just trying and by testing a lot and making mistakes, I came further and further. But not by making the same mistakes over and over every time, I always look at my work very critically. What have I done? Why did I do it? What do others do? And of course, how can I do it better? Faster! More beautiful!

Maybe there are better UX’ers with nice portfolio’s, but I think I know a bit more about everything and have a broader foundation. Which makes it easy for me to connect with any professional or team and understand them or translate their thoughts. Compared to others, I am more of an entrepreneur and understand companies and that has helped me tremendously with understanding business goals better. #itsallaboutthemoney

And what I like most about UX is persuading the user/visitor to show a desired behavior. Using different techniques and using design in such a way that they don’t actually notice it and everything feels natural.

Another question often asked is “What is UX design?”
What they’re really asking: Do you understand the value of the role? Understanding of the role-how it brings value to both customers and the business. I as a UX Designer with several years of experience (some call it Senior) have had the opportunity to work with many teams and with different companies and professionals. I believe it is all about championing the user. It is about how to add value for the user and how to do that with empathy. With every choice I make, I think about the user. The user is at the center of every process from user research, personas and user journey maps, to usability testing.

And don’t forget the business! Because by putting the user first, the business will flourish.

I may not have made award winning work (yet), but I like to look at it to learn from it and to be inspired. I always use cruise control as a good example of good UX. So subtle. It is almost normal, standard and impossible to imagine life without it. I just think how irritating traffic jams are and that adaptive cruise control drives, brakes and keeps a distance? #magic And now in the continuation with the self-driving cars! #loveit

But often the UX Projects I do are screen related. A common question is whether I can increase the conversion of a webshop. Or why optins of a campaign remain low. Or why the bounce rate of a landing page is so high. And by looking at the user and putting them first, you can quickly identify where the quick wins lie. (These are often the same mistakes)

I always say that problems and irritations are worth their weight in gold, because that’s where the solutions lie and where good UX is needed.

As I mentioned before, I’m “pretty” good at everything, but I like to focus on efficiency and convenience and simplify things for all types of users. And yes, I can make beautiful UI but I only do that to include people with less imagination or realization ability in the story. My strength does not lie in making an interface or banner pixel perfect, others will surely be faster at it. I like to focus on the user, what does he think? How does he experience this? What could be better? What does he need? What technique can we use to achieve this? What can we adjust in the design to make him behave as desired? How can we confirm this idea? How to turn assumptions in to insights?

Everyone wants to know how I solve problems or why I do what I do. What they’re really asking: What’s your thought process when solving problems?

I like to start with the end in mind and so that I know what I want to work towards but that can change as I gain more insights. Almost every project I start with asking (more) questions. Because it happens quite often that you are briefed incorrectly. And so you are immediately steered in the wrong direction and then your “solution” will ultimately be minimal. 

My mind is very visual and therefore my notes are more drawings and processes. I find this very useful and makes it easier to tell a story. So I just ask questions and that’s it. I don’t have the answers, but the user does, and by questioning those involved more closely, they will naturally give appropriate solutions or at least the right direction.