11 Inspiring UX Case Studies That Every Designer Should Study

Gene Kamenez

A UX case study is a sort of detailed overview of a designer's work. They are often part of a UX designer's portfolio and showcase the designer's skill in managing tasks and problems. From a recruiter's perspective, such a UX portfolio shows the skill, insights, knowledge, and talent of the designer.

Therefore, UX case studies play an important role in the recruitment and demand for designers.

What Makes a Powerful Case Study

Building a UX case study includes showing the design process through compelling stories. They will use plain language to demonstrate how they handled key design issues, offering a comprehensive view of their process. Well done case studies often include:

  • A  problem statement and solutions with real applications.
  • Relevant numbers, data, or testimonials to demonstrate the work and efforts.
  • A story that directly connects the problem to the solution.

Any competent UX professional will know that creating a stunning UX case study is about the little details.

11 Best UX Case Studies for Designers

The best way to understand what a good case study looks like is to go over other examples. Each of these UX case study examples shows a designer's insights, basic skills, and other designers' lessons learned through their experience.

1. Promo.com web editor

A case study of a video-creation platform

For this video-creation platform , UX designer Sascha was brought on to revamp v2.0, adding new features that could work alongside the existing UX design. The point was to work on interface details that would help create a user friendly platform, and that users could find simple enough to use.

User personas mapped by the UX designer revealed the most common confusion to be the process of inserting particular features into the video, such as subtitles. The designer's goal, therefore, was to create a platform with improved editor controls.

The designer then used a common text-editor layout to include top and side navigation bars that made it easy to access and implement text editing.

Key Learnings from Promo.com

This case study focuses on addressing a particular problem that customers were currently facing. Its main theme is to show a problem, and how the product designer addressed this problem. Its strength points include:

  • clearly highlighting the problem (i.e. inaccessible and limited video-text editor options)
  • conduction research to understand the nature of the problem and the kind of solutions customers want
  • implementing research insights into the redesign to create a platform that actively served customer needs

2. Productivity tracker app

A case study of a productivity tracker app

The main concept behind this UX case study is to address a pre-existing problem through the design of the app. Immediately from the start, the study highlights a common pain point among users: that of a lack of productivity due to device usage.

This UX case study example addressed some of the main problems within existing productivity apps included:a poor UI and UX that made navigation difficult

  • a poorly-built information architecture
  • limited functions on the mobile application

Key Learnings from the Productivity app case study

The case study highlights the simple design process that was then used to build the app. Wireframes were created, a moldboard developed, and finally, individual pages of the app were designed in line with the initial goals.

3. Postmates Unlimited

A case study of a food delivery app

This case study clearly identifies the improvements made to the Postmates app in a simple overview before jumping into greater detail. The redesign goal, which it achieved, was to improve the experience and other interface details of the app.

The problems identified included:

  • usability that led to high support ticket volume.
  • technical app infrastructure issues that prevented scalability.
  • lack of efficient product management, such as batching orders.

A UX research course can help understand the kind of research needed for a case study. The app redesign involved bringing couriers in and running usability testing on improvements. The final model, therefore, had input from real users on what worked and what caused issues.

Key Learnings from Postmates

The Postmates redesign works as a great UX case study for the simple way it approaches problem-solving. Following an overview of the work, it addresses the problems faced by users of the app. It then establishes research processes and highlights how changes were made to reduce these issues.

4. TV Guide

A case study of a video streaming platform

Addressing the fragmentation of content across channels, this case study sought to redesign how people consume media. The key problems identified included:

  • the overabundance of content across various TV and streaming platforms
  • the difficulty in discovering and managing content across all platforms

To deliver on the key goals of content personalization, smart recommendations, and offering cross-platform content search, the design process included conducting interviews, surveys, and checking customer reviews.

The design of TV Guide enables users to get custom recommendations sourced from friends' and family's watchlists.

Key Learnings from TV Guide

Like previous UX design case studies, this one tackled the issue head-on. Describing the research process, it goes into detail regarding the approach used by the UX designers to create the app. It takes readers on a journey, from identifying pain points, to testing solutions, and implementing the final version.

5. The FlexBox Inspector

A case study of a CSS flexbox tool

Designer Victoria discusses how she developed the investigator tool for the Mozilla Firefox browser. Surveys into understanding the problems with the existing CSS Flexbox tool revealed a need for a user-friendly design. Interviews with a senior designer and other designers helped developers understand the features design-focused tools ought to have. A feature analysis revealed what most users look for in such tools.

The final result of the development process was a design that incorporated several new features, including:

  • a new layout
  • color-coded design
  • multiple entry points to make workflow management efficient

Key Learnings from the Flexbox

This UX design case study starts with a clear goal, then addresses multiple user needs. It clearly defines the design process behind each feature developed by the time, and the reasoning for including that feature. To give a complete picture, it also discusses why certain features or processes were excluded.

6. The Current State of Checkouts

A case study of e-commerce checkout pages

This Baymard UX design case study looks into the checkout process in over 70 e-commerce websites. Through competitive analysis, it isolates problem points in the UX design, which, if addressed, could improve the customer's checkout process.

The study found at least 31 common issues that were easily preventable. The study was designed and conducted on a large scale, over 12 years, to incorporate changing design patterns into the review.

Recommendations based on findings include:

  • prominent guest checkout option
  • simple password requirements
  • specific delivery period
  • price comparison tool for shipping vs store pickup

Key Learnings from Checkout Case Study

Each identified issue is backed up by data and research to highlight its importance. Further research backs up each recommendation made within the case study, with usability testing to support the idea. As far as UX case studies go, this one provides practical insight into an existing, widely used e-commerce feature, and offers practical solutions.

7. New York Times App

A case study of a New York Times app

Using a creative illustration website, the designers proposed a landing page feature "Timely" that could counter the problems faced by the NYT app . Its major issues included too much irrelevant content, low usage, and undesirable coverage of content.

The goal behind Timely was to improve user incentives, build long-term loyalty, and encourage reading. Design mapping for the app covered:

  • identifying the problem
  • understanding audience needs
  • creating wireframes
  • designing and prototyping

The end result was an app that could help readers get notifications regarding news of interest at convenient moments (at breakfast, before bed). This encouraged interaction and improved readability with short-form articles.

Key Learnings from NYT App

The UX case study proposes a problem solution that works with an existing information architecture, instead adding custom graphics to the mobile app. It leads from a simple problem statement to discuss the project that could address these issues without changing was customers already loved.

A case study of the body activity monitoring app

UX case studies focused on redesign include the FitBit redesign, which started off by understanding personas and what users expect from a fitness tracker. Developing use cases and personas, Guerilla usability testing was employed to assess pain points.

These pain points were then ranked based on their importance to users and to app performance. They were addressed through:

  • Highlighting essential parts and features of the app
  • Changing easily missed icons to more recognizable icons
  • relabelling tracking options to guide users better to its usage

Key Learnings from Fitbit

While the case study maps user experiences and offers solutions, it does not begin with an intensive research-based approach. The prototype is successful in testing, but problem factors are not identified with research-based statistics, meaning key factors could have been ignored.

9. Rating System UX

a case study of a rating system

The designer behind the rating system UX redesign sought to solve issues with the 5-star rating system. Highlighted issues included:

  • the lack of subjective accuracy of a 5-point rating system
  • the issue of calculating the average of a zero-star rating
  • average ratings are misleading

Better alternatives include:

  • 5-star emoticon rating that relates the user experience
  • Like/dislike buttons that make approval/disapproval simple

The final design incorporated both these styles to make full use of the rating system.

Key Learnings from Rating System UX

The UX case study stemmed from insight into the limitations of the existing rating system. The new design addressed old issues and incorporated better efficiencies.

A case study for a content design system

The Intuit redesign was focused on making content readable, more engaging, and accessible. Looking into product personalization, the content was found to be lacking aesthetic value, as well as being hard to find. The goal was to create content that was easy to find, clear, and consistent.

The implemented solutions included:

  • increased readability with increased body text and header spacing
  • table of contents on the sidebar for easier navigation
  • visible and prominent search bar
  • illustrations and designs for pretty visuals

Key Learnings from Intuit

The Intuit case study approaches the problem from a practical point of view. It begins with isolating problems with the interface, in particular with the content. This is an example of a case study that breaks down problems into broader categories, and solves each problem with a practical solution.

A case study for a social plaform

This UX case study about a social platform tackles a commonly-faced problem from existing platforms. It addresses the issue of recognizing non-monetary user engagement, to help creators identify their user base.

The case study addresses the problem statement and establishes the design process (building wireframes and prototypes) as well as conducting user testing. The final result is to develop "Discover" pages, engaging layouts, and animated interactions to increase usability.

Key Learnings from Jambb

The study goes into detail regarding problem identification, then moves on to propose solutions that take into account the perspective of all stakeholders involved. It then explains why each design decision was made, and proves its efficacy through testing and prototyping.

Key Takeaways

Developing good UX case studies examples is as much about the details you include as the ones you leave out. Going over UX courses can give you a better understanding of what your case study should look like. A good case study should provide an overview of the problem, include numbers and statistics, and offer practical solutions that directly address the problem. The above-discussed UX case studies provide a good example of the dos and don'ts of a well-structured UX design case study that should be part of every UX portfolio .

Additional Resources

Check out these resources to learn more about UX case studies:

8 UX Case Studies to Read

UX Design Case Study

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Design, UI, UX , Inspiration

15 excellent ux case studies every creative should read.

  • By Sandra Boicheva
  • October 21st, 2021

In a previous article, we talked about UX portfolios and how they carefully craft a story of how designers work. Interestingly enough, recruiters decide if a UX freelance designer or an agency is a good match within 5 minutes into the portfolio . In order to persuade these recruiters, the portfolio needs to present an appealing story that showcases the skill, the thought process, and the choices taken for key parts of the designs. With this in mind, today we’ll talk about UX case studies and give 15 excellent examples of case studies with compelling stories.

The Storytelling Approach in UX Case Studies

An essential part of the portfolio of a UX designer is the case studies that pack a showcase of the designer’s skills, way of thinking, insights in the form of compelling stories. These case studies are often the selling point as recruiters look for freelancers and agencies who can communicate their ideas through design and explain themselves in a clear and appealing way. So how does this work?

Photography by Alvaro Reyes

Just like with every other story, UX case studies also start with an introduction, have a middle, and end with a conclusion .

  • Introduction: This UX case study example starts with a design brief and presents the main challenges and requirements. In short, the UX designer presents the problem, their solution, and their role.
  • Middle: The actual story of the case study example explains the design process and the techniques used. This usually starts with obstacles, design thinking, research, and unexpected challenges. All these elements lead to the best part of the story: the action part. It is where the story unveils the designer’s insights, ideas, choices, testing, and decisions.
  • Conclusion: The final reveal shows the results and gives space for reflection where the designer explains what they’ve learned, and what they’ve achieved.

Now as we gave you the introduction, let’s get to the main storyline and enjoy 15 UX case studies that tell a compelling story.

1. Car Dealer Website for Mercedes-Benz Ukraine by Fulcrum

This case study is a pure pleasure to read. It’s well-structured, easy to read, and still features all the relevant information one needs to understand the project. As the previous client’s website was based on the official Mercedes Benz template, Fulcrum had to develop an appealing and functional website that would require less time to maintain, be more user-friendly, and increase user trust.

  • Intro: Starts with a summary of the task.
  • Problem: Lists the reasons why the website needs a redesign.
  • Project Goals: Lists the 4 main goals with quick summaries.
  • Project: Showcases different elements of the website with desktop and mobile comparison.
  • Functionality: Explains how the website functionality helps clients to find, and order spare parts within minutes.
  • Admin Panel: Lists how the new admin panel helps the client customize without external help.
  • Elements: Grid, fonts, colors.
  • Tech Stack: Shows the tools used for the backend, mobile, admin panel, and cloud.
  • Client review: The case study ends with a 5-star review by the marketing director of Mercedes Benz Ukraine, Olga Belova.

This case study is an example of a detailed but easy to scan and read story from top to bottom, featuring all relevant information and ending on the highest note: the client’s review.

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2. Galaxy Z Flips 5G Website by DFY

This is a big project that covers every aspect of the website, including the UX strategy. The creative studio aimed to fully illustrate and demonstrate the significant upgrades over previous models and to enable two-way communication with the customers through an interactive experience.

  • Intro: Summary of the project and roles.
  • Interactive Experience: The main project goal.
  • Demonstration: Explains the decision to feature 360-degree views and hands-on videos instead of technical terms.
  • Screens: Includes high-quality screenshots of significant pages and features.
  • Ecosystem: Highlight a page with easy navigation across different products as a marketing decision that makes cross-selling seamless.
  • Essentials: Showcases a slider of all products with key features that provide ample information.
  • Showroom: Interactive experience that helps the user “play around” with the product.
  • Credits: As a conclusion, DFY features the stakeholders involved.

A strong presentation of a very ambitious project. It keeps the case study visual while still providing enough insight into the thought process and the most important decisions.

3. Jambb Social Platform by Finna Wang

Here we have a beautiful case study for a platform that aims to help creators grow their communities by recognizing and rewarding their base of supporters. It tackles a curious problem that 99% of fans who contribute in non-monetary ways don’t get the same content, access, and recognition they deserve. This means the creators need a way to identify their fans across all social platforms to grow their business and give recognition. To get a clear picture of what the design has to accomplish, Finna Wang conducted stakeholder interviews with the majority of the client’s team.

  • Intro: Listing roles, dates, team, and used tools.
  • Project Overview: The main concept and the reasons behind it.
  • Exploration: What problem will the platform solve, preliminary research, and conclusions from the research.  The section includes the project scope and problem statement.
  • Design Process: A thorough explanation of the discoveries and the exact steps.
  • User Flows:  3 user flows based on common tasks that the target user/fan would do on the site.
  • Design Studio: Visualization process with wireframes, sitemap, prototypes.
  • Design Iterations: The designer highlights the iterations they were primary behind.
  • Style Guide: Typography, colors, visual elements breakdown.
  • Usability Testing: Beta site vs Figma prototype; usertesting.com, revised problem statement.
  • Prototype: Features an accessible high fidelity prototype in Figma you can view.
  • Takeaways: Conclusions.

An extremely detailed professionally made and well-structured UX case study. It goes a step further by listing specific conclusions from the conducted research and featuring an accessible Figma prototype.

4. Memento Media by Masha Keyhani

This case study is dedicated to a very interesting project for saving family stories. It aims to help users capture and record memories from their past. To do so, the design team performed user research and competitive analysis. The entire project took a 6-week sprint.

  • Overview: Introducing the client and the purpose of the app.
  • My Role: Explaining the roles of the designer and their team.
  • Design Process: A brief introduction of the design process and the design toolkit
  • Home: The purpose of the Homepage and the thought process behind it.
  • Question Selection: The decision behind this screen.
  • Recording Process: Building the recording feature and the decisions behind it.
  • User research: a thorough guide with the main focuses, strategies, and competitor analysts, including interviews.
  • Research Objectives: The designer gives the intent of their research, the demographics, synthesis, and usability testing insights.
  • Propositions: Challenges and solutions
  • User Flow: Altering the user flow based on testing and feedback.
  • Wireframes: Sketches, Lo-Fi wireframing.
  • Design System: Typography, colors, iconography, design elements.
  • The Prototype: It shows a preview of the final screens.

This UX study case is very valuable for the insights it presents. The design features a detailed explanation of the thinking process, the research phase, analysts, and testing which could help other creatives take some good advice from it for their future research.

5. Perfect Recipes App by Tubik

Here we have a UX case study for designing a simple mobile app for cooking, recipes, and food shopping. It aims to step away from traditional recipe apps by creating something more universal for users who love cooking with extended functionality. The best idea behind it is finding recipes based on what supplies the user currently has at home.

  • Intro: Introducing the concept and the team behind it.
  •  Project: What they wanted to make and what features would make the app different than the competitors.
  • UI design: The decisions behind the design.
  • Personalization: Explaining how the app gives the user room for personalization and customizing the features according to their personal preferences.
  • Recipe Cards and Engaging Photos: The decisions behind the visuals.
  • Cook Now feature: Explaining the feature.
  • Shopping List: Explaining the feature.
  • Pantry feature:  The idea to sync up the app with AmazonGo services. This case study section features a video.
  • Bottom Line: What the team learned.

This UX case study is a good example of how to present your concept if you have your own idea for an app. You could also check the interactive preview of the app here .

6. SAM App by Mike Wilson

The client is the Seattle Art Museum while the challenge is to provide engaging multimedia content for users as well as self-guided tours. Mile Wilson has to create an experience that will encourage repeat visits and increase events and exhibition attendance.

  • Intro: Listing time for the project, team members, and roles.
  • The Client: A brief introduction of Seattle Art Museum
  • The Challenge: What the app needs to accomplish.
  • Research and Planning: Explaining the process for gathering insights, distributing surveys, interviews, and identifying specific ways to streamline the museum experience.
  • Sloane: Creating the primary persona. This includes age, bio, goals, skills, and frustrations.
  • Designing the Solution: Here the case study features the results of their research, information architecture, user flows, early sketching, paper prototypes, and wireframes.
  • Conclusion: Explaining the outcome, what the team would have done differently, what’s next, and the key takeaways.

What we can take as a valuable insight aside from the detailed research analysis, is the structure of the conclusion. Usually, most case studies give the outcome and preview screens. However, here we have a showcase of what the designer has learned from the project, what they would do differently, and how they can improve from the experience.

7. Elmenus Case Study

This is a case study by UX designers Marwa Kamaleldin, Mario Maged, Nehal Nehad, and Abanoub Yacoub for redesigning a platform with over 6K restaurants. It aims to help users on the territory of Egypt to find delivery and dine-out restaurants.

  • Overview: What is the platform, why the platform is getting redesigned, what is the target audience. This section also includes the 6 steps of the team’s design process.
  • User Journey Map: A scheme of user scenarios and expectations with all phases and actions.
  • Heuristic Evaluation: Principles, issues, recommendations, and severity of the issues of the old design.
  • First Usability Testing: Goals, audience, and tasks with new user scenarios and actions based on the heuristic evaluation. It features a smaller section that lists the most severe issues from usability for the old design.
  • Business Strategy: A comprehensive scheme that links problems, objectives, customer segment, measurements of success, and KPIs.
  • Solutions: Ideas to solve all 4 issues.
  • Wireframes: 4 directions of wireframes.
  • Styleguide: Colors, fonts, typeface, components, iconography, spacing method.
  • Design: Screens of the different screens and interactions.
  • Second Usability Testing: Updated personas, scenarios, and goals. The section also features before-and-after screenshots.
  • Outcome: Did the team solve the problem or not.

A highly visual and perfectly structured plan and process for redesigning a website. The case study shows how the team discovers the issues with the old design and what decisions they made to fix these issues.

8. LinkedIn Recruiter Tool by Evelynma

A fresh weekend project exploring the recruiting space of LinkedIn to find a way to help make it easier for recruiters to connect with ideal candidates.

  • Background Info: What made the designer do the project.
  • Problem and Solution: A good analysis of the problem followed by the designer’s solution.
  • Process: This section includes an analysis of interviewing 7 passive candidates, 1 active candidate, 3 recruiters, and 1 hiring manager. The designer also includes their journey map of the recruiting experience, a sketch of creating personas, and the final 3 personas.
  • Storyboard and User Flow Diagrams: The winning scenario for Laura’s persona and user flow diagram.
  • Sketches and Paper Prototypes: Sticky notes for paper prototypes for the mobile experience.
  • Visual Design: Web and mobile final design following the original LinkedIn pattern.
  • Outcome: Explaining the opportunity.

This is an excellent UX case study when it comes to personal UX design projects. creating a solution to a client’s problem aside, personal project concepts is definitely something future recruiters would love to see as it showcases the creativity of the designers even further.

9. Turbofan Engine Diagnostics by Havana Nguyen

The UX designer and their team had to redesign some legacy diagnostics software to modernize the software, facilitate data transfers from new hardware, and improve usability. They built the desktop and mobile app for iOS and Android.

  • Problem: The case study explain the main problem and what the team had to do to solve it.
  • My Role: As a lead UX designer on a complicated 18-month project, Havana Nguyen had a lot of work to do, summarized in a list of 5 main tasks.
  • Unique Challenges: This section includes 4 main challenges that made the project so complex. ( Btw, there’s a photo of sketched wireframes literally written on the wall.)
  • My Process: The section includes a description of the UX design process highlighted into 5 comprehensive points.
  • Final Thoughts: What the designer has learned for 18 months.

The most impressive thing about this case study is that it manages to summarize and explain well an extremely complex project. There are no prototypes and app screens since it’s an exclusive app for the clients to use.

10. Databox by FireArt

A very interesting project for Firearts’s team to solve the real AL & ML challenges across a variety of different industries. The Databox project is about building scalable data pipeline infrastructure & deploy machine learning and artificial intelligence models.

  • Overview: The introduction of the case study narrows down the project goal, the great challenge ahead, and the solution.
  • How We Start: The necessary phases of the design process to get an understanding of a product.
  • User Flow: The entire scheme from the entry point through a set of steps towards the final action of the product.
  • Wireframes: A small selection of wireframe previews after testing different scenarios.
  • Styleguide: Typography, colors, components.
  • Visual Design: Screenshots in light and dark mode.

A short visual case study that summarizes the huge amount of work into a few sections.

11. Travel and Training by Nikitin Team

Here’s another short and sweet case study for an app with a complete and up-to-date directory of fitness organizations in detailed maps of world cities.

  • Overview: Explaining the project.
  • Map Screen : Outlining the search feature by categories.
  • Profiles: Profile customization section.
  • Fitness Clubs: Explaining the feature.
  • Icons: A preview of the icons for the app.
  • App in Action: A video of the user experience.

This case study has fewer sections, however, it’s very easy to read and comprehend.

12. Carna by Ozmo

Ozmo provides a highly visual case study for a mobile application and passing various complexities of courses. The main goal for the UX designer is to develop a design and recognizable visual corporate identity with elaborate illustrations.

  • Intro: A visual project preview with a brief description of the goal and role.
  • Identity: Colors, fonts, and logo.
  • Wireframes: The thinking process.
  • Interactions: Showcase of the main interactions with animated visuals.
  • Conclusion: Preview of the final screens.

The case study is short and highly visual, easy to scan and comprehend. Even without enough insight and text copy, we can clearly understand the thought process behind and what the designer was working to accomplish.

13. An Approach to Digitization in Education by Moritz Oesterlau

This case study is for an online platform for challenge-based learning. The designer’s role was to create an entire product design from research to conception, visualization, and testing. It’s a very in-depth UX case study extremely valuable for creatives in terms of how to structure the works in their portfolio.

  • Intro: Introducing the client, project time, sector, and the designer’s role.
  • Competitive Analysis: the case study starts off with the process of creating competitive profiles. It explains the opportunities and challenges of e-learning that were taken into consideration.
  • Interviews and Surveys: Listing the goals of these surveys as well as the valuable insights they found.
  • Building Empathy: The process and defining the three target profiles and how will the project cater to their needs. This section includes a PDF of the user personas.
  • Structure of the Course Curriculum: Again with the attached PDF files, you can see the schemes of the task model and customer experience map.
  • Information Architecture: The defined and evaluated sitemap for TINIA
  • Wireframing, Prototyping, and Usability Testing :  An exploration of the work process with paper and clickable prototypes.
  • Visual Design: Styleguide preview and detailed PDF.
  • A/B and Click Tests: Reviewing the usability assumptions.
  • Conclusion: A detailed reflection about the importance of the project, what the designer learned, and what the outcome was.

This is a very important case study and there’s a lot to take from it. First, the project was too ambitious and the goal was too big and vague. Although the result is rather an approximation and, above all, at the conceptual level requires further work, the case study is incredibly insightful, informative, and insightful.

14. In-class Review Game by Elizabeth Lin

This project was never realized but the case study remains and it’s worth checking out. Elizabeth Lin takes on how to create an engaging in-class review game with a lot of research, brainstorming, and a well-structured detailed process.

  • Intro: What makes the project special.
  • Research: Explaining how they approached the research and what they’ve learned.
  • Brainstorming: the process and narrowing all How Might We questions to one final question: How might we create an engaging in-class math review game.
  • Game Loop and Storyboarding: Sketch of the core game loop and the general flow of the game.
  • Prototyping: Outlining basic game mechanics and rounds in detail.
  • Future Explorations: The case study goes further with explorations showing how the product could look if we expanded upon the idea even further.
  • What Happened?:  The outcome of the project.

This case study tells the story of the project in detail and expands on it with great ideas for future development.

15. Virtual Makeup Studio by Zara Dei

And for our last example, this is a case study that tells the story of an app-free shippable makeover experience integrated with the Covergirl website. The team has to find a way to improve conversion by supporting customers in their purchase decisions as well as to increase basket size by encouraging them to buy complementary products.

  • Intro: Introducing the project and the main challenges.
  • Discovery and Research: Using existing product information on the website to improve the experience.
  • Onboarding and Perceived Performance: Avoiding compatibility issues and the barrier of a user having to download an app. The section explains the ideas for features that will keep users engaged, such as a camera with face scan animation.
  • Fallback Experience and Error States: Providing clear error messaging along with troubleshooting instructions.
  • Interactions: explaining the main interactions and the decisions behind them.
  • Shared Design Language: Explaining the decision to provide links on each product page so users could be directed to their preferred retailer to place their order. Including recommended products to provide users with alternatives.
  • Outcome and Learning: The good ending.
  • Project Information: Listing all stakeholders, the UX designer’s role in a bullet list, and design tools.

In Conclusion

These were the 15 UX case studies we wanted to share with you as they all tell their story differently. If we can take something valuable about what are the best practices for making an outstanding case study, it will be something like this.

Just like with literature, storytelling isn’t a blueprint: you can write short stories, long in-depth analyses, or create a visual novel to show your story rather than tell. The detailed in-depth UX case studies with lots of insights aren’t superior to the shorter visual ones or vice versa. What’s important is for a case study to give a comprehensive view of the process, challenges, decisions, and design thinking behind the completed project .

In conclusion, a UX case study should always include a summary; the challenges; the personas; roles and responsibilities; the process; as well as the outcomes, and lessons learned.

Video Recap

Take a look at the special video we’ve made to visualize and discuss the most interesting and creative ideas implemented in the case studies.

YouTube video player

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Top 22 Stunning UX Case Studies You Should Know in 2022

An immersive yet well-structured UX case study helps UX professionals show off their design talents in portfolio websites, and let them communicate better with employers, designers and others easily.

However, as a UX designer , how can you write a perfect UX case study to easily get hired or communicate with others better?

Mockplus has handpicked 22 of the best UX design case study examples in 2022 to help you get inspiration, improve your portfolios and make your own things with ease. A step-by-step guideline about how to create a UX case study is also followed.

What is a UX case study?

A UX case study tells the story of how you create a great website or app and, in particular, what you do to improve the UX of the site. UX designers—newbies and experts alike—will often share a case study on a portfolio website as a great way to get hired. Just like sending a resumé. 

So, it is a lot more than just a copy of everything you've done while designing the project. To really showcase your design talent and the breadth of your abilities, you need to make sure the following are all included:

  • A full description of your role in the project;
  • The biggest challenges you've faced;
  • The solutions you've chosen, how you chose them and why;
  • How you communicate and collaborate with others; and
  • The outcomes and the lessons you’ve learned.  

To this, you should feel free to add any further information that you think would help you stand out from the crowd. 

UX Case Study Example

It is also worth remembering that UX case studies are a good resource for UX design beginners to learn more practical design skills and to gain from the real experience of others in dealing deal with difficult or urgent problems.

22 Best UX case study examp le s you should learn

Whatever stage you’re at and whatever you are writing your case study for, these 22 top examples are bound to inspire you. 

1. Perfect Recipe -UX design for cooking and shopping

Perfect Recipe

Designer s : Marina Yalanska and Vlad Taran

Case Study : Perfect Recipe

This is a mobile application that enables users to search for food recipes and to buy what they need to cook different dishes.

Why d id  we choose this  one?

This case study illustrates the entire UX design process is very simple, plain language. Many aspects of the process are included, along with some really inspirational ideas, such as product personalization, challenges and solutions, animated interactions, and other interface details.

Extra tips :

This example is from the Tubikstudio blog, which is very popular among designers. It regularly shares different branding, UI, and UX case studies. We would strongly recommend that you follow this blog to keep yourself up to date with the latest and most creative case studies.

View details

2. GnO Well Being - Branding, Web Desing & UX

GnO Well Being

Designer : Marina Yalanska and Olga Zakharyan

Case Study : GnO Well Being

This is a creative illustration website that presents and sells a weighted designer blanket that helps you get a good night’s sleep, the first step to good health and a better life.

Why d id  we choose this ?

This example is so much more than a great UX case study. In addition to the UX design , it gives you insight into many more key design issues, such as the logo, custom graphics, website pages, interactions and so on. There are many ideas here that you could copy for your own projects.

3. Splitwiser - UI/UX case redesign

Splitwiser

Designer : Chethan KVS (a Product designer at Unacademy)

Case Study : Splitwise

This is a concept mobile app that enables users to track and split expenses with friends. The designer has also given it another name, "Splitwise." 

Why do we choose this ?

This case study shares the designer's insights into key design decisions, such as why he chose this product, why he decided to redesign the logo, how to improve the onboarding and other pages, how to optimize the user flow, how to balance all pages and functions, how to enhance UX through bottom bars, interactions, gestures, view modes, and more.

Everything is explained using intuitive images, earning it thousands of “likes”. This is a great example that is bound to help you write a stunning case study on redesigning UX.

This comes from a popular media channel called "UX Planet" that regularly posts examples of the best and latest UX case studies from around the world. Another great place to keep you up to speed with the latest UX designs.

4. Deeplyapp.com - UX & visual improvements

Deeplyapp.com

Designer : Sladana Kozar

Case Study : Deeplyapp

This is a health and self-care website app that helps users maintain mental well-being with meditations and exercises. This case study talks you through the design process of creating a user-friendly mobile app.

This case study focuses on improvements to the UX and visual features of this mobile app. Many aspects are included to help you understand it better, such as the design background, what to build, UI flow diagram, discoverability design, visual balance, and much more. A full set of app interfaces are presented for you to study as well.

You can also check out its Part 1 post for more details.

5. Talent Envoy - improving the recruitment process 

Talent Envoy

Designer : Enes Aktaş (Experienced UX designer)

Case Study : Talent Envoy

Talent Envoy is an intelligent job assistant that helps users find their ideal job and get to all the way to signing a contract faster and more easily.

This case study firstly points out the biggest challenges and problems faced by job-seekers—the shortage of US recruitment markets. It then talks to you through the detail of how the designers optimized the recruitment process. You will also find information on the user research process, the UI flowchart design, the related wireframe and Sketch designs, the main page design, and more. 

All the details have clear explanations and they offer a great example of how to use user research to solve problems and improve UI interfaces.

This one comes from another hot media channel called "Muzli" which shares the latest ideas, designs, and interactions about websites or website apps from all over the world. Don’t miss out on this site if you want to stay ahead of the curve. 

6. My Car Parking - UI/UX case study

My Car Parking

Designer : Johny Vino (Experienced UX and interaction designer)

Case Study : My Car Parking

This is a mobile app that can help people get parking slots easily even when they travel beyond their normal routes. 

This is a masterclass in how to write a case study that is simple, well-structured, and easy to understand. Many intuitive lists and images are used to explain the design ideas and processes. 

It has received “claps” from over seven and a half thousand people and   is a perfect example of how to write a well-structured and easy-to-understand case study.

7. Parking Finder App - UI/UX case study

Parking Finder App

Designer : Soumitro Sobuj

Case Study : Parking Finder App

This is another concept mobile app that makes it easy for users to find parking slots even in big or overcrowded cities.

This case study is beautifully presented and gives a good presentation of the whole design process. It covers nearly all the issues that a textbook UX case study should have, such as problems and solutions, user-centered design, design strategy, user flow, information architecture , interface wireframes and visual designs, and much more besides. 

It is one of the best examples we have found of a case study that really teaches you how to write the perfect UX case study.

8. Pasion Del Cielo - coffee ordering experience

Pasióon dDel Cielo

Designer : Jonathan Montalvo (Senior Designer, Branding, UXUI )

Case Study : Pasión del Cielo

This is a concept project about a real local coffee shop in Miami.

This case study demonstrates effective ways to engage users with the Pasión brand and how a site can make it as easy as possible to turn page views into coffee sales. 

There is a lot of analysis included to explain the entire design process, such as analyzing the competition, feature analysis, brand and interface improvements, and much more. Most important of all, many user personas have been created to evaluate and enhance the UX.

This is a good example to check for anyone looking to improve their own UX case study. Above all, it shows what can be done with rich images, bright colors, clear layouts, and well-crafted personas.

9. Workaway App - UX redesign

Workaway App - UX redesign

Designer : Rocket Pix (UXUI, web designer )

Case Study : Workaway App

This is a mobile app that provides international hospitality services; it helps users to contact each other to organize homestays and cultural exchanges.

This UX design case study explains how the designer redesigned the Workaway App to make it easier for users. Many intuitive charts (pie charts, flow charts, line charts), cards, and images are used to illustrate the ideas.

It is simple and easy to follow, and also a good example of how to create an intuitive case study with charts and cards.

10. Receipe App - UI/UX design process

Receipe App

Designer : Dorothea Niederee (UX, UI designer   )

Case Study : Recipe App

This is a food app design offering inspirational recipes for anyone who wants to eat healthier.

This case study gives a clear demonstration of the entire UI/UX design process. Three user personas are defined to present different users' needs. Some colors, typography, and UI elements are also shared.

This is a good example of how to define a detailed user persona in your UX case study.

11. Hobbfyy - a social and discovery app UX design

Hobbfyy

Designer : Mustafa Aljaburi (UX, UI designer   )

Case Study : Hobbfyy

This is a social and discovery app that makes it quick and easy to get everything you need for your hobbies.

This case study aims to show how to develop a site that will provide its users with solutions, in this case to get what they need for their hobbies. Beautiful images, a storytelling style, and special layouts are used to explain everything.

12. Bee Better - habit tracker app UX case study

Bee Better

Designer :   Anastasiia Mysliuk (UX, UI designer   )

Case Study : Bee Better

This is a habit tracker app that makes it easy for you to develop new useful habits.

This case study aims to solve problems associated with how we form and develop habits. It helps users find solutions and make habit formation more interesting; it motivates them to maintain their useful new habits. Many aspects of design, such as problems, solutions, the design process, discovery and research, user journey map, prototypes, and much more are illustrated and explained in simple language.

This would be a good example to follow if you are looking to create an easy-to-understand UX case study.

13.Sit My Pet - pet sitting app UX case study

Sit My Pet

Designer : Aiman Fakia (UX, UI, visual designer )

Case Study : Sit My Pet

This is a pet-setting app that provides pet owners with a digital service that helps them connect with pet sitters.

This UX case study describes a site that aims to make pet sitting more easily accessible for pet owners. It analyzes both its users and its competitors very well. The way solutions are evaluated, the user stories, and other related aspects are followed in detail to give you a better understanding of the project as a whole.

This is a good example of how to develop a UX design based on user needs.

14. Groad - food ordering system UX case study

Groad

Designer : Phap (UI designer )

Case Study : Groad

This is a food ordering app offering food delivery services from stores, restaurants, cafés, fast food bars, and others. 

This UX case study uses beautiful illustrations and colors to explain the entire design process. As well as the usual parts of the design process—UI flow chart, UI showcasing—the related logo and icon designs, typography, and other aspects are included. This is a good example if you are looking to learn how to create an immersive case study with beautiful illustrations and colors.

15. iOS VS Android UI/UX Case Study

IOS VS Android UI/UX Case Study

Designer : Johanna Rüthers

Case Study : Econsy

Here is another concept app that helps people live more sustainably by using a scanning process to give them information about the ecological and social impact of products they are thinking of buying. 

This case study explains the differences in the mobile app’s appearance when it is applied on the Human Interface Guidelines (IOS) and Material Design Guidelines (Android). This will help you to create an app that works well on both Mac and Android devices.

More UI/UX case studies & designs:

16.Timo Bank - UI/UX Case Study

Timo Bank

Timo Bank is a mobile banking app project produced by Leo Nguyen, a freelance designer and creative director. This case study aims to provide more intuitive transfer, payment, and money management solutions for mobile users.

This is a great example to consider if you are hoping to create a better banking app.

17. Endoberry Health App Design

design stories ux case study

Endoberry Health App Design provides useful solutions for women suffering from endometriosis. In turn, this gives doctors a better understanding of individual cases. The design challenges, solutions, and UI details are displayed and explained to illustrate the design project.

18. Job Portal App

Job Portal App

Job Portal App has been specially made for designers and freelancers. This case study uses cute illustrations, simple words, and clear storytelling to explain how the designer worked out the ideal job hunting solutions for users.

19. Cafe Website - UI/UX Case Study

Cafée Website

Café Website gives its users a great experience by making it quick and easy to order a coffee online. Many elegant page details are displayed.

20. Ping - the matchmaker app case study

 Ping

Ping is a dating app that offers users a unique and effective way to find their perfect match. As you can see, its mascot is really cute and this case study will show you how a cute mascot can enhance the UX.

21. Hubba Mobile App - UI/UX Case Study

Hubba Mobile App

Hubba Mobile App is a B2B online marketplace where retailers can find and purchase unique products for their stores or shops. This case study aims to explain the process of creating a special mobile app for this online marketplace. It offers a beautiful and clear presentation of the entire UI/UX design process.

22. Music App - music for children

Music App

Music App shares the fancy UI and colors from a music app made for children. It is a good example that is sure to inspire you to create a distinctive children's app.

How do you create a UX case study?

If you are still not entirely sure how to go about creating a distinctive UX case study, here are a few simple steps to walk you through the entire process from start to finish:

Step  1.  Figure out your purpose

The final outcome will depend on what it is you are trying to achieve. So, before you start writing a UX design case, you should first figure out in detail what its purpose is. Ask yourself some basic questions:

  • Is it for a job interview?
  • Is it for improving your personal portfolio?
  • Is it designed to show off your design talents on social media?
  • Is it just created to practice your design skills?
  • Is it made to share design experiences with other designers?

In short, figuring out your purpose and setting a goal can make the entire design process so much easier.

Step   2.   Plan or outline your case study

Whatever you want to do, it is always a good idea to start with a plan. When it comes to writing a UX case study, you should also outline your entire UX case study and decide on what sections you want to include.

For example, nowadays, a good UX design case study often covers:

  • Overview : Start with a short paragraph that introduces your project.
  • Challenges  and  goals : Explain the project background and point out the biggest challenges or problems you've encountered. Explain the goals you want to achieve and how you will overcome the challenges you have identified. 
  • Roles  and  responsibilities : Tell readers what role you play in the project and the specific features of your role that will help create a better product.
  • Design process : Introduce the entire design process in detail so that readers can see clearly what you have done to make life easier for users. Many employers check this part very carefully to see whether you have the basic skills and abilities they are looking for. So, never underestimate the importance of this section. 
  • Solutions  and  outcomes : No matter what problems you have faced, the solutions and the final outcomes achieved are what really matters. So, always use this section to showcase your skills and achievements. 

You might also want to add further sections:

  • User research :   Some full-stack designers also include this to give a more comprehensive view of their design skills.
  • UI designs : Some experienced designers also display their relevant UIs, and UI flow, along with low- and high-fidelity prototypes to enrich the content.

Of course, if you are a newbie, and you still have questions, why not go online and search for UX case study templates that you can study and follow.

Step 3.  Explain the design process clearly

As we've explained above, the design process is always one of the most important parts of a good UX case study. You should always introduce clearly as many of the relevant parts of the process as possible. For example: show how you and your team communicate and collaborate effectively; demonstrate how you have developed ideas to address user problems; explain how you and your team have dealt with emergencies or mishaps.  

design stories ux case study

You can also introduce the UX design tools that you have chosen to simplify the entire design process. Mockplus, is an online product design platform, enabled us to adapt quickly and effectively to working from home during the recent Coronavirus lockdown. Prototyping our designs, sharing ideas, working together in an effective team, taking the process from design to handoff, it all works smoothly with this single tool.

Step  4. Improve readability and visual appeal

The content should be the main focus of your case study—but not the only focus. To make the case study as good as possible, you also need to think about its readability and visual appeal. Here are some suggestions to follow:

  • Explain everything as clearly as possible.
  • Add images, illustrations, charts, cards, icons, and other visuals.
  • Create a clear storytelling structure or layout.
  • Choose an immersive color scheme.
  • Add eye-catching animations and interactions.
  • Use vivid video, audio, and other multimedia resources.

The final visual effect can be make-or-break for whether your UX case study is going to stand out from the crowd. You should always take it seriously.

Step   5. Summarize

Every UX case study can be a good chance to practice and improve your design skills. So, in your conclusion, don’t forget to analyze the entire process and summarize the outcomes. Always take a minute to figure out what lessons you should take away from the process, what tips should be remembered, what should be improved, and—most important—what your next steps are going to be.

UX case studies are one of the most essential parts of a UX designer's portfolio. The ability to write a well-structured UX case study is also one of the basic skills that a competent UX professional should have. So, UX case studies play a very important role in UX designer's life.

We hope our picks of the best UX design case studies along with our step-by-step guide will help you create a stunning UX case study.

In- house content editor, specialize in SEO content writing. She is a fruit lover and visionary person.

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The Complete Guide to UX Case Studies

Cassie Wilson

Updated: October 23, 2023

Published: August 21, 2023

Writing a UX case study can be overwhelming with the proper guidance. Designing for the user experience and writing about it in a case study is much more than writing content for a webpage. You may ask, “If my design speaks for itself, should I include a UX case study in my portfolio?”

person reviewing a ux case study on a laptop

Yes, you should include UX case studies in your portfolio. And here’s why.

Download Our Free UX Research & Testing Kit

You need to make your portfolio stand out among the crowd. A UX case study is a great way to do that. Let’s take a minute to define what a UX case study is and look at some examples.

Table of Contents

What is a UX case study?

The benefits of ux case studies, examples of ux case studies, tips for creating a ux case study.

UX portfolios are essential to showcasing UX designer skills and abilities. Every UX designer knows better designs bring better results. Sometimes, it’s easy to let the design speak for itself — after all, it is meant to engage the audience.

But, in doing that, you, as the designer, leave many things unsaid. For example, the initial problem, the need for the design in the first place, and your process for arriving at the design you created.

This is why you need to include UX case studies in your portfolio.

UX case studies tell a curated story or journey of your design. It explains the “who, what, when, where, and how” of your design. The text should be short and sweet but also walk the reader through the thinking behind the design and the outcome of it.

[Video: Creating a UX Case Study: Right and Wrong Way to Approach It]

There are many benefits to including UX case studies in your portfolio. Think of your UX portfolio as a well-decorated cake. The designs are the cake, and UX case studies are the icing on the cake— they will catch your audience's eye and seal the deal.

Take a look at the benefits of adding UX case studies to your portfolio.

UX Case Study Benefits Showcase skills and abilities. Explain your thinking. Highlight (solved) user issues. Define your personality.

Don't forget to share this post!

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The Ultimate UX Case Study Template

design stories ux case study

Having a template to follow is the biggest help in UX case study writing. Even more so, if you’re a junior who doesn’t have much experience with portfolios. A template can help you plan, organize your thoughts while showing you the light at the end of the tunnel.

The UXfolio team reads hundreds of case studies every month. What we’ve found is that successful UX case studies have a similar structure. In this article, we’ve distilled this formula into a flexible UX case study template and some practical tips that you can use to polish your case studies!

design stories ux case study

About UX case studies in general:

Before you get to work, we need to clarify a few important details. Doing so will help you understand the expectations and the purpose of UX case studies:

What are UX case studies?

UX case studies are a form of professional content that mixes text and visuals to present the design process of products or product features. They make up UX portfolios, alongside optional pages such as ‘About Me’ or ‘Contact’.

How are they different from UX portfolios?

UX portfolios are made of UX case studies. Think of your portfolio as a folder that holds together your case studies. Back in the day, these used to be printed, book-like documents. Nowadays the industry prefers websites and other digital formats .

How are they different from resumés?

Your resumé lists your skills and work experience. Meanwhile, your portfolio uses case studies to showcase how you apply those skills and experience . Ultimately, you’ll need both to land a job.

How many case studies should be in a portfolio?

If you’re a junior UX designer , you should include 2-3 case studies in your portfolio. These could describe UX bootcamp assignments, re-design concepts, UX challenges , internship projects , or even fictional products. If you’re a medior or senior UX designer, write up 4-5 of your most impressive projects into case studies. Your goal should be to feature as many of your skills as possible. And remember: quality over quantity.

What to feature in your UX case studies?

Since your career depends on your UX portfolio, there’s a lot of pressure that comes with putting one together. Usually, it’s this pressure that numbs designers and leads to procrastination. But just setting straight what lays ahead will help ease your mind:

The story of your design

Design decisions, visuals with explanations.

This might sound very esoteric, but it’s really not. For every design, there was at least one problem that required a solution. You were the person who explored the problem and found the solution/solutions. There might have been moments when the whole thing went off-rails, or when you needed to go back to the drawing board. Those are all part of your design story.

Now, imagine that a friend, peer, or colleague asks you about a project. How would you talk about it? That’s almost exactly what you should put in your case studies. Just polish it a bit, leave out the curse words, add visuals and you have a case study.

Throughout the design process, you keep making decisions. Choosing a UX method to apply is a decision too, and there’s a reason why you chose it. Your UX case studies need to highlight these decisions and their contribution to the design.

The biggest mistake in UX case studie s is when UXers go on defining instead of explaining:

  • Definition ➡️ “I proceeded to do an in-depth competitive analysis to find out more about competing apps in the same category.”
  • Explanation ➡️ “I proceeded to do an in-depth competitive analysis to make a list of features that were missing from our products, check out how others solved the XY flow, and find out how could we improve on it in our solution.”

Then you’ll move on to explain what you’ve found and as your case study progresses, you reference those findings.

You need to be heavy-handed with your visuals when you’re creating UX case studies. Using images alongside your text will help your readers’ comprehension. So, as a first step, collect everything you can: photos, sketches, whiteboard grabs, graphs, personas, screenshots, wireframes, user flows, prototypes, mood boards, notes, and so on.

We’ve seen some creative UXers use screenshots of calls (with blurred-out faces), group photos, and prototypes of all fidelity. Such visuals help us understand what we’re reading about. But they also build an image in our heads of the designer behind the screen, which can be very powerful and memorable.

Some designers are already in the habit of keeping every scrap of paper with a scribble on it because they know that when it comes to writing a case study, you can’t have enough visuals. Follow their example to make your easier – your future self will thank you.

But it’s not enough to just throw some images into a case study. Here’s how you can make them impactful:

  • Always give context ➡️ if you put that stunning photo of the wall with post-its into your case study, make sure that you place it in a section where you explain what’s happening on it (see design decisions) or give it a caption that explains it. The important thing is that visuals will only work if they are strategically placed or they come with an explanation.
  • Strive for visual consistency ➡️ even if it requires some extra work, you should make sure that your visuals match each other. Yes, a persona and the user flow might not be close to each other on your layout, but they’re still in the same document so they need to have consistent styling. Believe me, this is a common criticism from design leads and HR folk as well.

Image of a case study template generator

How long should be a case study?

If you check a site like Behance, you’ll find that most UX projects there are rather short. Usually, they focus on the visual aspects of design, aka UI. That is a fantastic starting point for a case study. But for UX design, you will need to add some content for context.

The good news is that you don’t need to write essays for case studies. All it takes is around 500 words and some well-optimized visuals. You should never stretch your words because it’ll reflect poorly on your presentation skills. 

Also, treat this number with flexibility: If the project at hand justifies it, feel free to go above or below that. Usually, when a case study is very long, it’s because the project itself was more complicated.

What’s the point of UX case studies?

1. applied designer skills.

It’s one thing to learn a skill and it’s another to use it in a way that can help drive numbers for a business. A great UX case study will prove that you are capable of applying your skills and delivering a solution even with all the distractions and obstacles that come with real-life scenarios.

2. Presentation skills

Many UXers forget about the skills that are required beyond UX. Just read a few UX designer job descriptions , and you’ll find that advocating for design best practices is one of the most common requirements.

As a designer, you’ll have many stakeholder meetings and you’ll need to present your or your team’s ideas. And the fate of those ideas might depend on the way they’re presented. Therefore, the way you articulate your thoughts is important. A great UX case study will show that you are great at structuring your thoughts and articulating complex concepts.

3. The impact of your design

You can see in our UX case study template that there’s a separate section for showcasing your impact. If you can prove that your design can drive numbers, you’re set. This is the single most powerful tool that you can use in a case study: before-and-after analytics, such as an increase in checkouts, increase in finished flows, better CTRs, user feedback, etc. Use whatever number you have to show that your design contributed to the business. It’ll convince even the UX-doubters.

Obviously, as an aspiring/junior designer , this might be impossible, so you need to be a bit more creative. We advise you to show what impact the project had on you: what you’ve learned and how you’ve improved as a designer.

4. Navigating in a team

Almost every product is a collaborative effort between professionals from various disciplines: researchers, designers, developers, marketers, etc. Therefore, navigating in a collaborative environment is an important trait. A case study should show how the team influenced the design, how you’ve collaborated with other designers, the sacrifices that had to be made, and so on.

You don’t need an elaborate plan for this. First and foremost, make sure that you introduce the team in your case study. Second, ask for quotes/recommendations and include them in a neat quotes section. Yes, tooting your own horn can be a bit uncomfortable, but unfortunately, it’s part of the game.

5. Showcase of your taste

Yes, it’s UX, but the reality is that most people don’t care: if what you present doesn’t appeal to them, it’s unlikely that you’ll get the job. Make sure that your UX case studies are visually consistent. If you want to cast a wider net, strive for sleek, minimalist solutions and harmonizing colors.

Password protection feature for portfolios and case studies

A simple yet effective UX case study template

This is a tried-and-true UX case study template that can provide a structure to your thoughts. There are 6 chapters that are standard for almost any UX case study. However, the content of these chapters is highly dependent on the project you’re writing about. But don’t worry, this doesn’t mean that we’ll leave you on your own: for each chapter, we’ll give you various options and ideas to help you get going.

UX case study template/skeleton:

  • Hero section
  • Project overview
  • Exploration/Discovery
  • UX design process
  • Final design

1. Hero section

All case studies should begin with a title & subtitle. You can use various formulas for your title, but we’ve found that this is the one that works the best:

  • App name + project scope + project/case study = Netflix Checkout Redesign Project

Your subtitle can provide a glimpse into the project, for which you have various options:

  • What’s the product about? (An app that helps you keep your plants alive.)
  • What was the project about? (6-week UX design and research project)

If you want to include something visual in your hero section go hard or go home: use spoilers, aka show screens of the final design. You don’t have to fit everything there, just the parts you’re most proud of as an appetizer. Later in the case study, you’ll have enough space to showcase everything you’ve worked on.

  • 2 sentences (titles), and
  • 1 optional cover image.

design stories ux case study

2. Project overview

Make sure that your readers are prepared for what’s to come. Remember: they know nothing about this project, so you need to cover the bases:

  • Product description,
  • Team members,
  • Project length,
  • Methods used, and
  • 3-4 sentences for the overview, and
  • 4-5 bulletpoints for the small details.

Screenshot of a project overview section in a UX case study

3. Exploration/discovery

Now that we have all the background information, we can move on to how you’ve approached the issue you were presented with. This part usually includes:

  • Competitive analysis,
  • Interviews, and

Make sure that for everything you mention you answer at least these three questions:

  • Why did you choose to do it?
  • What did you find out?
  • How did that influence your next move?

You can end this chapter with a wrap-up to create a smooth transition to the next chapter.

  • At least 3-4 sentences for each method you’ve used,
  • Visualize as much information as you can.

Screenshot of a survey section in a UX case study

4. UX design process

Now that we understand the scope of the project, we’re eager to see how you went on to design a solution. You can achieve a great structure here if you start from more abstract ideas and move towards the final design:

  • Wireframes,
  • Prototypes,
  • Iteration, and
  • Validation.

Again, you need to answer a few questions for every step you made:

  • What did you want to achieve by doing this?
  • How did this step contribute to the final design?
  • At least 3-5 sentences for every method you mention.

design stories ux case study

5. Final design

Probably the most exciting part of every UX case study is the reveal of the final design. In this section, you should explain

  • Why did you choose this solution?
  • What other solutions were in the run?
  • Before-and-after screenshots (if relevant to the project).

There are two great options to present your final designs. The first is to use galleries. You can go with a nice carousel or a grid that follows a logical order. The second is to embed your Figma prototype. This has the added benefit of making your case study interactive, which makes for a more memorable experience. (Or you can combine the two for an even better showing.)

  • 2-3 short paragraphs.

Screenshot of UIs presented in a grid gallery

If you have numbers or analytics that show how your design contributed to business goals, you need to showcase them. This will make your case study even more impactful. You don’t need graphs and piecharts (unless you have the time to create some); it’s enough to make a list with the quantifiable data. If you don’t have access to such data , you can also include testimonials and user quotes to underline impact. If you can include both, that’s a winning combination.

  • At least 1 sentence for each achievement.
  • In a bulleted list or short paragraph.

6. Learnings

There’s something to learn even from the most boring project you’ve ever done. At least, you should strive to find something positive that can contribute to your growth as a designer. This can be a soft skill, a new tool, a new method, or a different way of cooperation. Try to think of things that were new to you in this project and share the takeaways with your readers. Alternative closures include:

  • What would I do differently?
  • Jobs to be done
  • This chapter can be as long as you please, but
  • At least 3-4 sentences.

design stories ux case study

Alternate UX case study templates

We’ve provided a classic UX case study template that has been proven to be working. Now, we’ll show you how you can alter this template for different flows:

UI focused case study template

If you’re strong in UI, you should not wait to reveal your final design until the end of your case study. You needn’t worry about spoiling the surprise as a case study is not a fiction novel or Netflix show. A beautiful design will pull in your readers. What’s more, if the company doesn’t really know the difference between UI and UX, this approach will make your case study even more impactful as it’ll start with the ‘beautiful stuff’.

Here’s how that template would go:

  • Project Overview
  • Transition to the next section by letting your reader know that you’ll explain how you’ve arrived at this solution.
  • Exploration/discovery
  • (Optional: Showcase even more of your final designs)

Impact driven case study template

Every product has a business behind it. And what you can do for that business is what matters to stakeholders. We can all conclude that a screen is pretty, but if it doesn’t contribute to business goals or KPIs, it’s just that, a pretty screen. So, if you have some numbers to share, don’t be afraid to put them right after your intro section. Then go on and showcase how you’ve achieved it:

  • Share numbers then follow up by showcasing the design which contributed them:

Build your UX case studies with UXfolio!

UXfolio is a portfolio and case study builder made with UX designers in mind. It offers stunning, customizable templates as well as a case study generator with text and image ideas. What’s more, UXfolio comes with built-in device mockups, easy prototype embedding, and password protection on the portfolio or the case study level. Ready to work on your portfolio? Try UXfolio for free!

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12 Most-Read UX Design Articles and Case Studies by Tubik in 2020

Striking the creative balance of 2020, we've made the list of ux design articles and case studies in tubik blog that were most-read, shared, and liked this year..

With the year 2020 melting away, fruitful on design articles and case studies in Tubik Blog, we keep up with the tradition to give you a glance at the most popular ones. Striking the balance of the year of design and writing about it, here we have collected for your the list of posts that were most-read, shared, and liked during the year. They are devoted to a variety of topics of UI and UX design for websites and mobile applications. So, let’s review what themes have been found the most actual and interesting by our readers.

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User Experience: Insights Into Consistency in Design : Read what is design consistency, why it is important, what types of consistency exist, and how to reach it in an app or website you design.

Web Design: 16 Basic Types of Web Pages : In this article, let’s review basic types of web pages you can find on diverse websites around the Web. Packed with web design examples and tips.

How to Design Effective Search in User Interfaces : The article provides handy insights and UX design practices on making an internal search for websites and mobile applications intuitive and easy to use.

Error Screens and Messages: UX Design Practices : The article shares insights on the UX design of error screens and writing error messages: learn how to smoothen the negative effect of dealing with errors.

Best Practices on Preventing Errors in User Interfaces : The article shares a bunch of popular UX design practices that improve interactions, navigation, and help to prevent users from making errors with websites and apps.

How To Design User Onboarding: Tips and Practices : Review a brief guide on effective user onboarding for positive user experience from the first steps: types of onboarding elements and design practices supporting usability.

Case Study: HUAWEI. Icon Design for EMUI 10 : The article shows the creative process of icon design for HUAWEI EMUI 10: check the stages of icon creation from sketches and concepts to polished icon system.

Case Study: Credentially. Website Creation with Webflow : The process of website creation for Credentially, the service for automated HR management in healthcare: web design stages and insights into development with Webflow.

Case Study: ShipDaddy. Identity and Web Design for Shipping Service : Check the creative process and design solutions on brand identity and website for ShipDaddy, innovative and customer-centric shipping, and fulfillment service.

Case Study: Illuminating Radioactivity. Web Design for Education : The article unveils the design process for Illuminating Radioactivity, an impressive educational website covering the radioactivity phenomenon from different perspectives.

Case Study: Lumen. Website for Museum of Mountain Photography : Check the creative process for the website of Lumen, an awesome museum of mountain photography: elegant design solutions, user experience, and interactions.

Case Study: GNO Blankets. Branding and Web Design for Ecommerce : The article unveils the creative process on branding and website design for GNO Wellbeing, the company producing weighted blankets: check logo design, custom graphics, web pages, and interactions.

branding design tubik studio

Wishing you great holidays and a productive new design year, we are already working over new content helpful for businesses and designers. Huge thanks to all our readers for support and loyalty and best regards from all the Tubik team!

Welcome to check the big review of major UX design trends in 2020

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Case Study: Love Sign. Gift Box Packaging Design with Romantic Vibes

Glance at the graphic design for a gift box created for the marketing campaign devoted to Saint Valentine's Day, with sophisticated packaging design and artistic illustrations.

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Case Study: Devpost. Hero Illustrations for Hackathons Platform

Check the creative process for a set of bright hero illustrations reflecting the atmosphere of international hackathons for the Devpost hackathon platform.

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Case Study: OffCents. Explainer Video Production

The case study on creative flow of video production of OffCents, the app contributing to the healthy environment: check stages of graphic design and animation.

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Modern Graphic Design: Directions and Purpose

The article presenting the variety of purposes served by modern graphic design: branding, UI navigation, mascots and lettering, tutorials, posters and animation.

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UX Case Studies: The Ultimate Guide for Product Designers

design stories ux case study

Welcome to the exciting world of UX case studies!

In the realm of digital product design, these fascinating narratives take center stage, unlocking valuable insights into the user experience and shaping the future of user-centric design.

In this blog post, we will delve into the essence of UX case studies , explore their significance, discover essential tools to create them, and showcase some remarkable examples.

Let's crack on!

What is a UX Case Study?

UX case studies

A UX case study is a detailed account of a user experience design project, documenting the process, methods, and outcomes.

It allows designers to share their problem-solving approaches, decisions, and the impact of their work.

A well-crafted case study tells a compelling story , presenting the challenges faced, the strategies employed, and the solutions that were implemented.

Why Do We Create UX Case Studies?

UX case studies

1. Reflection and Improvement

UX case studies provide designers with an opportunity to reflect on their work, analyze their decisions, and identify areas for improvement. It's a chance to learn from both successes and failures, fostering growth and professional development.

2. Knowledge Sharing

By sharing UX case studies, designers contribute to the collective knowledge of the design community. These stories inspire and inform others, opening up a world of possibilities and encouraging best practices.

3. Building a Portfolio

UX case studies serve as powerful additions to a designer's portfolio . They showcase the designer's skills, expertise, and problem-solving abilities to potential employers or clients.

Video explainer on UX case studies:

Examples of UX Case Studies

How airbnb designs for trust case study:.

Joe Gebbia, the co-founder of Airbnb , bet his whole company on the belief that people can trust each other enough to stay in one another's homes. How did he overcome the stranger-danger bias ? Through good design. Check out the above UX case study for the full story.

Uber Eats Stories case study walk through:

A case study walk through video for Uber Eats focusing on a new Stories feature.

Tools to Create UX Case Studies:

UX case studies

Design and Prototyping Tools:

Popular tools like Figma , Sketch, and Adobe XD help designers create visually appealing and interactive case study presentations. These tools enable the seamless integration of design assets, prototypes, and user flows into the narrative.

User Research and Analytics Tools:

Tools such as Google Analytics, Hotjar , and UsabilityHub provide valuable data and insights to back up the decisions made during the design process. They help designers validate their assumptions and make data-driven choices.

Collaboration and Documentation Tools:

Tools like Notion, Trello, and Asana aid in organizing research findings, design iterations, and project timelines. They facilitate collaboration within teams and ensure smooth communication throughout the project lifecycle.

Frequently Asked Questions about Case Studies in UX Design:

UX Case Studies

What is a case study in UX design?

A case study in UX design is a detailed examination and presentation of a specific project or problem that a UX designer has worked on. It provides a comprehensive overview of the design process, methodologies used, challenges faced, and the ultimate outcomes. Case studies help UX designers showcase their skills, problem-solving abilities, and the impact of their work.

Why are case studies important for new UX designers?

Case studies are essential for new UX designers as they offer a platform to demonstrate their abilities and build a strong portfolio. They allow designers to showcase their expertise, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills to potential employers or clients. Additionally, case studies provide valuable learning opportunities by analyzing real-world projects and gaining insights into the UX design process.

What should a case study include?

A comprehensive case study should typically include the following components:

Project overview: Provide a brief introduction to the project, its objectives, and the problem statement.

Research and analysis: Describe the research conducted, including user interviews, surveys, and competitor analysis. Explain how the findings influenced the design process.

Design process: Outline the design methodologies employed, such as wireframing, prototyping, and user testing. Discuss iterations and refinements made based on user feedback.

Challenges and solutions: Highlight any obstacles or constraints encountered during the project and how they were overcome.

Results and impact: Present the outcomes of the project, such as improved user satisfaction, increased conversions , or any measurable metrics.

Reflection and learnings: Share personal reflections on the project, lessons learned, and areas for improvement.

How can I make my case study engaging?

To make your case study engaging, consider the following tips:

Use visual elements: Include images, diagrams, and interactive prototypes to visually represent your design process and outcomes.

Tell a story: Structure your case study like a narrative, starting with a problem and guiding the reader through the journey of solving it.

Use clear language: Write in a concise and accessible manner, avoiding jargon or technical terms that may confuse readers.

Highlight impact: Emphasize the positive impact your design had on users, businesses, or other relevant stakeholders.

Be authentic: Share your thought process, challenges faced, and how you grew as a designer through the project.

How long should a case study be?

There is no strict rule on the length of a case study, but it's important to keep it concise and focused. Aim for a length that effectively communicates your process and findings without overwhelming the reader. A case study between 500 to 1500 words is generally a good range to aim for.

Can I include confidential or proprietary information in my case study?

It's important to respect confidentiality agreements or intellectual property rights you may have with clients or organizations. If you are unsure about what information can be shared, seek permission or consult with your client or employer before including any sensitive or proprietary details.

Remember, case studies are an excellent opportunity to showcase your skills, creativity, and problem-solving abilities as a UX designer. Make the most of them by presenting your work in an engaging and informative manner.

UX case studies serve as windows into the captivating world of digital product design . They allow designers to reflect on their work, share knowledge, and inspire others.

With the right tools and techniques, designers can craft compelling narratives that highlight their problem-solving skills and their dedication to creating outstanding user experiences .

So, go ahead and immerse yourself in the realm of UX case studies, unlock the power of storytelling, and shape the future of user-centric design!

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The Ultimate Guide to UX User Stories [With Examples]

If you’re just getting started in UX, user stories will probably be something you’ve heard about. 

But you may not fully understand just yet how to make the most of them, or what a good user story looks like.

I’ll kick things off with an explanation of what user stories are, before looking at why they’re important. I’ll then explain how user stories are used in Agile. After that, I’ll share some tips on how to write a good user story and some user story examples. 

To skip ahead to any section, use this clickable menu:

What are UX user stories?

  • Why are user stories important?

User stories and Agile

How to write a good user story .

  • Examples of UX user stories
  • Closing thoughts

User stories are short, specific, and goal-oriented statements, written in the first-person, that represent a user’s goals, needs, aspirations, or expectations.

UX user stories are generally one sentence long and made up of three parts:

  • The subject of the action (i.e. the user’s name)
  • The action the subject/user wants to do
  • The outcome they want to achieve

By following this structure they look like this:

As <1>, I want to <2>, so that <3>.

We’ll go into a few specific examples of UX user stories in more detail in a later section, but here’s a one to give you an idea of what I’m talking about:

As < Stephanie >, I want to < get notified in advance about when I need to update my OS >, so < I don’t have to stop working for half an hour when it’s inconvenient >

Another way of thinking about the three parts of a user story that might be helpful for you is “who?”, “what?”, and “why?”:

  • What do I want to do?
  • Why do I want to do it?

Here’s how you could apply the content from the example above to the “who?”, “what?”, and “why?” structure: 

  • Who am I? A mac user
  • What do I want to do? Get notified in advance about when I need to update my OS
  • Why do I want to do it? So I don’t have to stop working for half an hour when it’s inconvenient

While this may look like a very simple sentence, it actually reveals a lot about who you’re designing and building for and why.

And it’s for this reason that user stories are used regularly and systematically by UX designers, product designers, and product managers.They’re tools for getting an in-depth understanding of users’ needs, and the starting point for generating solutions that will give those users value.

Now that I’ve explained what user stories are, let’s look at why they’re so important. 

Why are user stories important? 

User stories are important for UX designers , product designers, product managers, and development teams for many different reasons. Let’s take a look at five of the most important ones:

  • User stories help keep products user-focused and user-centered. To avoid creating features that haven’t been externally validated, user stories ensure that all features are user-focused, based on real user needs and goals, and driven by empathy for users.
  • User stories give designers a realistic and concrete view of the user. User stories help designers to get important context on users’ goals. By putting yourself into your user’s shoes, you understand how your product or feature fits into their day-to-day life. UX user stories should be created with—or at least validated by—UX research.
  • User stories encourage team collaboration by creating alignment on the user and development priorities. Many projects include a wide range of stakeholders, including content designers, UX researchers, product managers, product owners, and developers (in addition to the UX designer). Ideally, user stories should be accessible, manageable, and understandable to all of these stakeholders. 
  • User stories help with task prioritization by acting as a roadmap or navigational aid. On top of informing the functionality of the product, user stories can help designers determine the order in which features are designed and how they are designed. User stories can help projects stay focused on what is implementable and achievable at each stage, and what should be left out until later on. We’ll talk about this in the context of Agile in the next section.
  • User stories drive creative solutions. This collaborative process of putting yourself in your users’ shoes encourages the team to think critically and creatively about the best solutions for the users’ goals. Often, this results in finding creative solutions that would otherwise have been missed.

Now that I’ve outlined five reasons why user stories are important, I’ll explain why they’re part of Agile software development and how they fit into the bigger picture.

User stories and Agile are often mentioned in the same breath.

The concept of user stories originated in Agile, and they remain a core component of an agile program.

As I explained above, user stories help to ensure features and products are user-centered. This means that—in the context of Agile—they act as a user-focused framework for daily work. They help make sure work is collaborative and creative, driving teams towards better products.  

User stories are the smallest units of work in an agile framework and they serve as building blocks for larger agile frameworks like epics (larger projects broken down in multiple stories) and initiatives (multiple epics). Epics and initiatives exist to make sure that the day-to-day work fits into wider organizational goals.

In an agile framework, teams should be able to complete user stories in a sprint. And if a story is too big to be completed in a sprint, it should be broken down into smaller ones or subtasks. 

Completing user stories often gives teams a sense of achievement during a sprint and helps them to build momentum.  

User stories work well in both scrum and agile frameworks. Because of space, I won’t go into the details here, but if you’re interested in learning more about user stories in scrum or agile (and how user stories fit in the wider context of Agile project management), Max Rekhopf has written an excellent guide on the subject for Atlassian: User Stories – Examples and Template .

How do Agile frameworks help UX?

Laura Klein, in a blog post for the Interaction Design Foundation , explains that Agile is “a great aid in user-centered design, not least because it offers us a faster track by which to research and plan, particularly in that we can structure and fine-tune epics to help find every possible dimension of a project”.

She also explains the relationships between user stories and agile compellingly—user stories give us a firm grasp of the users and their wants; and this combines with the structure and flexibility of epics to powerful effect.

To learn more about using Agile as a UX designer, check out our guide to Agile UX .

Now that I’ve looked at how user stories are used in Agile, I’ll explain how to write a good user story.

As user stories are short and follow the same simple structure, it’s easy to get fooled into thinking they’re easy to write.

In fact, they can be very challenging to put together.

A good user story needs to be clear, actionable, and user-focused. Here are five things you can do that will help you create good UX user stories:

  • Involve user research and talk to your customers. Because user stories need to reflect real needs and goals, getting user research is essential. Qualitative user research like observations, interviews, and other ethnographic methods can be extremely useful in generating relevant user insights. You may also realize around this stage that you need multiple user stories for different personas (for more on personas, check out Raven Veal’s comprehensive guide, How to Define a User Persona .) 
  • Define your user stories collaboratively. Creating user stories collaboratively acts as a quality-check, ensuring that the whole team both supports them and believes they are implementable. 
  • Be short, specific, and lead to a measurable outcome. User stories that are too long or vague don’t work because just actioning them—let alone measuring their outcomes—isn’t possible. You can include any extra information in subtasks or tasks, if you need to.
  • Be clear on what the user wants to achieve, not what the feature should be. This is related to number 3—it’s crucial that the user story does not prescribe or spell out the feature or product that needs to be created. That comes later. The team needs to be given freedom to figure out and implement the best solution. Your user story should instead be focused on what the user wants to achieve and why.
  • Include a definition of “done”. Most of the time this is easy to define, because the story will be complete when the user can complete the task. But remember to define exactly what that looks like.

Now I’ve gone over some ways you can create good user stories, it’s time to take a look at some examples and understand what makes them good.

Examples of good UX user stories 

Going back to the first section of the guide, you’ll remember that user stories are made of three components, the subject of the action , the action the subject/user wants to do , and the outcome they want to achieve. This means they typically look like this:

As <1>, I want to <2>, so that <3>. 

Here’s an example with the subject, action, and outcome included:

As Carla, I want to buy a used bike for under $400, so I can cycle to work.

This user story is good because it is clear, actionable, and user-focused. You can see how this would quickly generate design questions, like “How do we let Carla filter bikes by price?” and “Should we suggest price brackets, let users enter them themselves, or both?”

Here’s another example:

As Armin, I want to invite friends to share a cab to a party, so I can save some money.

Like the first one, this user story is clear and user-focused. If you were part of the team responsible for actioning it, you’d ask questions like “Can Armin invite his friends before he’s booked the cab, or only after?” “What if Armin’s friends don’t use our app?” and “How many friends can Armin invite?”  

Going through these questions—and dozens more of course—would help the team come up with potential solutions in the ideation phase.

Let’s look at one final example: 

As Anjali, I want to save the shows I want to watch later, so I don’t have to waste time scrolling for them.

Once again, this example is clear, actionable, and user-focused. It’s short and specific too, and it doesn’t include any prescription on what the feature should be. It also has a very easily measurable outcome and definition of done: “Can Anjali now easily save her shows?”.

Closing thoughts 

Because user stories follow a very simple structure, when they’re done well, they can help your projects in many ways. They can help them stay user-centered, goal-focused, and realistically implementable.

User stories should be based on a solid understanding of your users, one that is based on evidence rather than assumptions (hello, UX research). And good user stories can act as excellent drivers of creativity and innovation, as well as navigational aids for projects.

If you’re new to UX design or product design, it’s 100% worth getting familiar with user stories. Hopefully this guide has helped you do that.

Want to dive deeper on the basics of UX design?  Take our free 5-day short course in UX design.

Or explore our comprehensive guides:

  • 7 Principles of Design: A UXer’s Guide
  • The Best UX Bootcamps and How to Choose One
  • The Difference Between UX and UI Design: A Beginner’s Guide

To get a better sense of the day-to-day work of a UX designer, watch this video with Dee Scarano, an experienced UX designer:

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UX Case Study Example #1 plus free template

In my last article , I shared the free UX Portfolio Case Study template that I developed based on over 60 portfolios of successful design hires from Facebook, Amazon, Uber, Twitter, Apple, Google, LinkedIn, Dropbox and the insights of top design recruiters.

We explored what recruiters look for in UX job applications/portfolios and then dived into successfully structuring any UX case study, even conceptual projects .

What you are going to learn

Today I wanted to go a step further and walk you through how to fill in the UX Portfolio Case Study template from scratch and I will use an example UX case study from my portfolio. 

design stories ux case study

The core idea is to try to break down your case study creation process into a writing component and designing component so that you can tackle each one without getting stuck or overwhelmed.

The template ensures that your case study has a good narrative and understandable structure. 

This also allows you to plan more effectively what design artifacts you will need in your case study. It’s a system by which you can then rapidly roll out multiple case studies without forgetting anything that’s relevant to a recruiter or client.

The UX Portfolio Case Study template has 8 critical sections that recruiters are looking for.

UX Portfolio Case Study template sections

  • Project Title & Subtitle (A headline and subtitle that indicates the name and goal of the project)
  • Client/Company/Project type
  • Project date (When did you work on the project)
  • Your role (What you were responsible for on the project)
  • Project Summary/About this Project (An overview that summarizes the project, goal and results)
  • The challenge (What specific problem, user needs, business requirements and/or pain points that the project solves. Were there any technical constraints or business KPIs you had to keep in mind? Who are you users and what are their specific needs)
  • Solution (What method/process were used to solve specific problem, user needs, business requirements and/or pain points? How did features address the objectives?)
  • Results (Project success metrics, awards, reflections, project next steps and/or lessons learnt)

Let’s begin.

The project

The UX portfolio project I will use is one I did as a Senior Designer at a digital marketing agency. The brief was to create a responsive website/microsite for an annual financial publication for an Asset Management company. 

Now let’s walk through each section of the UX Portfolio Case Study template and fill it in.

1. Project Title & Subtitle

Length: Project Title (1 line) & Subtitle (1–2 lines)

This one is pretty simple. I used the name we had for the project at the agency. It’s brief enough to fit any case study cover but does show the brand name, and the nature of the product, a journal. I added a sub-title to further explain what the heading means, and give more context around the project title.

design stories ux case study

2. Client/Company/Project type

Length:1 line

Unless stated in the title, this helps build more background to who the project was for. This was a commercial project for a client so I wrote the name of the client’s brand.

design stories ux case study

3. Project date/duration

When or how long the project was helps the recruiter establish whether this is your most recent work and most importantly, to gauge where your skill level is. Always try to put up work that is recent because it’s an accurate reflection of your skills. This one was a bit of an old one that I had not drafted a case study for.

design stories ux case study

4. Your role

Length:1–2 lines

This is a section to state everything you did and were responsible for. Recruiters are looking to accurately assess your skills in the context of the entire project’s execution. I state that I was the Senior UX Designer on the project then note down all the activities I did on a high level, for the project over the course of several months.

design stories ux case study

5. Project Summary

Length: 1–2 paragraphs

This is a critical section for any reader who does not have a lot of time to read through the entire case study but wants a brief summary of the project, goals, and results. They may be going through a stack of applications and only have a few minutes to scan over one or two projects in your portfolio. 

I have kept my summary to three long sentences. The first is the context of the brand. The second touches on the challenge and problem we were attempting to solve. And the last sentence addresses how we would know we had done a good job.

design stories ux case study

6. The Challenge/Problem

Length: 2–3 paragraphs

This section specifically looks at the problems the project is trying to address. While keeping this paragraph concise I dive into the details of the problem that the client and their user were experiencing.

design stories ux case study

7. The Solution

Length: As long as needed

This is the longest and more time consuming section to fill in depending on how long ago the project was and how fresh in your mind it still is. For this section I outlined the design process steps and methods followed during the project. I wrote down the high level project steps but at this point I am already thinking of the the relevant design artifacts recruiters might want to see. Everything that I produced from sketches to visual mockups to prototypes.

design stories ux case study

Length: 1 paragraph

The critical last section concludes the case study by outlining any project success metrics that were achieved. I was fortunate that we wanted to report back to the client how well the site had performed so this information was dug up from the Google Analytics tracking. In most cases clients are happy with just a launch and its really up to you to follow up and get the project impact.

design stories ux case study

Okay, now that we have filled in our UX Portfolio Case Study template we can move on to getting our design artifacts together. I am happy with the content I put down and importantly, I have not missed any section. 

design stories ux case study

Putting it together

This part is really up to you and how you tackle it, is going to depend on where you are going to host your UX case study. If you have a portfolio site you can use the template content on a site page and fill in the gaps with images and project artifacts. 

I have a Behance account where I house my projects and merely need to upload images and write the text in, then publish the portfolio. Taking it a step further I integrate the text and imagery in Sketch/Photoshop then just upload the images.

How to enhance your UX Case Study

Key things that I always like to include in my case studies to make them more interactive and engaging:

  • A video or gif of the final product
  • A prototype
  • Brand imagery to create immersive narrative

UX Case Study Folder structure

I like to create a folder structure for housing everything I will need as follows.

  • RAW ( I collate screenshots of the final project, UI designs and wireframe exports in here)
  • Images (Relevant visual imagery that can be interlaced between project sections)
  • Videos (Optional. In most cases there won’t be one)
  • Behance submission (Final design exports for Behance upload)

design stories ux case study

Here are some of the final design screens with the text we filled out in the UX Portfolio Case Study template. Go to this link to view the full case study .

The intro has most of our UX case study sections covered in one go. Super important for recruiters without a lot of time.

design stories ux case study

The About and challenge sections come directly after that.

design stories ux case study

Then we can dive into the work. Here is a tiny bit of the Solution section showcasing a wireframe and UI design.

design stories ux case study

And lastly the results to round off the case study.

design stories ux case study

Here is the link to my portfolio and other UX case studies.

Calvin Pedzai on Behance I conduct website and mobile app usability audits, heuristic evaluations, user journeys, competitor analysis, user… www.behance.net

If you would like to get down to work, download my UX Portfolio Case Study template for free . Its included with the Design Portfolio Layout Guide , which including 20 online case studies and example scripts for each case study section.

design stories ux case study

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Calvin Pedzai

Analytical problem solver who enjoys crafting experiences and currently is the Senior UX designer at an awarding winning agency.

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UX Case Study Example #2 plus free template

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How to create the perfect structure for a UX case study

UX case studies form the core content of a UX professional’s portfolio. They are essential to getting you hired, because case studies are a window to your professional practice, by showing how you think, adapt, cooperate and ultimately solve challenges. A UX case study has to tell a story about you. Like all good stories, case studies benefit greatly from a solid structure that guides the reader through your thinking and experience. Here, we will explore how to craft the perfect structure for your UX case studies.

Let’s begin with a few quotes about case studies and interviews, from UX recruiters worldwide, compiled in 2017 by Cassandra Naji ( marketing content manager at Justinmind, the popular UX prototyping software):

”I want to see how you think strategically, how you connected the dots to land at the right solution. What does your process look like? What steps did you take to learn more about your users?” (Melissa Perri, Product Manager and UX Designer at Produx Labs) ”Having a really strong portfolio where you can talk through your whole process , not just showing research, user flows , wireframes, etc, but turning it into a story for example why you moved onto each part of the process so a hiring manager can really get inside your thought process.” (Tom Cotterill, UX Recruiter at Source LF) ” Storytelling is important. The interviewer wants to understand your process , your contribution to the team, and how your mind works.” (Rebecca Levi, UX/ UI / Product Design Recruiting Manager, The Joanne Weaver Group) “My tip would be, tell stories . When designers present a flat portfolio it doesn’t tell me about how they approach the work they do and how they deal with the ebbs and flows of design. Tell me how you navigate from start to end of a project, I like to see a case study approach.” (Sarah Bellrichard, SVP of Wholesale Internet Solutions & UX at Wells Fargo) “So, when I interview you, tell me a story about how you made something awesome even though it was super uncertain what it was going to turn out to be. And get meta and walk me through how you approach problems, how you navigate through idea generation and synthesis, and how you build solutions.” (Jeff Onken, Design Strategist & UX Manager at Northrop Grumman)

You might begin to see the pattern here: Recruiters from both large and small companies alike are all immensely interested in the same thing: your thinking and professional process. They want you to tell them a story about how you tackled previous UX challenges. To progress through to an actual interview, where you can elaborate on your stories in person, first you must pass the portfolio review obstacle – UX case studies in your portfolio are your first opportunity to tell recruiters your stories. These stories have to be tantalizing enough that the recruiter will want to invite you to learn more about them, and you. So, in order to get the recruiters’ attention, first we need to understand the power of stories, so we can understand why they are so much in demand by recruiters, and then see what story elements your UX case study should contain.

The power of storytelling in UX hiring

In our long history as a species, stories have always played an important role in our societies. Pick any time and any populated place on the planet, and some research into that culture during that era will bear this out as a fact. Writer and copyeditor Shannon Turlington (2010) offers some excellent insight from her 20+ years of experience in science and academic writing, about the importance of stories for humans.

“We use stories not only to learn but also to speculate, to pose questions and then find solutions.” - Shannon Turlington

Through storytelling, we pass on important information and lessons from generation to generation. Some stories are fictional; others are accounts of true events. But we don’t use stories just to learn. Stories are also an exercise in speculation and the exploration of possibilities. They are a great way to ask the “what if” questions in life, and find possible answers to these. In fact, storyboarding is one of the most well-known UX tools used to do just that!

Since we don’t know how the stories of our own lives will end, absorbing stories that have a beginning, middle and end can provide great satisfaction. Generally speaking, stories have the ability to provoke strong emotional responses , so they are an immensely powerful tool that can connect people to one another and, if sufficiently persuasive, bring about dramatic and profound changes in thinking.

design stories ux case study

Copyright holder: Gerd Leonhard, Flickr. Copyright terms and license: CC BY-SA 2.0

For UX professionals, telling the story of how they tackled the challenges of wicked UX design problems provides recruiters with the confidence that an applicant has great communication skills, matched with excellent technical skills and a deep understanding of methodological approaches to product development.

Assuming that you might be looking for a UX job in the near future, let’s take a look at who is going to be hiring you. They have a specific and immediate need in mind: to find a new member to join their UX team, someone brilliant who will bring inspiration, talent and hard work that will raise the team to new heights. We already know from their testimonials above that they are interested in your stories. Why?

Quite simply, by going through applicants’ portfolios, recruiters are subconsciously asking themselves a what-if question: “What if this person joined our team? What would it be like to work with this person?”. Therefore, what better way for you to answer this question for them than to provide a story? Telling a great story about your own experiences as a UX professional gives this satisfaction of having something come full circle: starting from somewhere and arriving somewhere else. It helps the recruiter see the world through your own eyes, and in the process, hopefully recognize someone who has fought a difficult challenge with skill, integrity, commitment, courage and perseverance – just the right kind of person to solve the wicked problems of design.

Structuring a captivating story

Orson Scott Card, an American science-fiction writer, wrote in 2010 that most novels are dominated by four types of story structures: milieu, idea, character and event. From this classification, we can single out the “idea” structure because it accurately frames the type of experience that a UX professional has throughout his or her working life. In Card’s own words:

“Idea stories are about the process of seeking and discovering new information through the eyes of characters who are driven to make the discoveries. The structure is very simple: The idea story begins by raising a question; it ends when the question is answered.” – Orson Scott Card

Idea stories have a structure of discovery, so the question is naturally a “why”, “how” or “what if”, exactly the type of thing that UX professionals ask themselves daily. So, in this context, there is a question that begets an answer (that’s the design problem), the protagonist (i.e., you as a UX professional) tells the story of how he or she arrived at an answer for that question (helping the reviewer see the process through the protagonist’s eyes), and, finally, there is a conclusion, an answer to the question (that’s your final product and its impact).

design stories ux case study

Copyright holder: Smita Nair Jain, Flickr. Copyright terms and license: Public Domain

A good UX case study is the story of how you broke a design challenge down into its components, and then expertly put this knowledge together to deliver a superb user experience.

Turning a UX case study into a story

Of course, we’re not saying here that you need to write a whole novel to explain what happened in a UX project you undertook in the past. A case study has to be succinct, but all the crucial elements of the story need to be there: the starting question, the process, the answer. And remember that just like any project that you designed, your UX case study is also a product of design – something that you give shape and essence to, with care and attention to detail, attempting to solve a real need: the recruiter’s need to see how you think, and, through this, your own need to become employed. So, we can conclude that the perfect UX case study has three parts, which we will outline next.

The beginning of a UX case study

Here is where you should explain the question that you tried to answer, and the context. For example, look at how the following statement describes the goals, vision and challenges to be addressed by a project:

“We wanted to design a new app that reminds busy people to do important things. The challenge was that simple reminders are often issued at a place or time where the user can’t really act on them, like a reminder to buy milk, while the user is at the office. Wouldn’t it be better to issue that reminder as the user is walking past a supermarket, on the way home?”

If you were part of a larger UX team here, you should also state your role in the project – for example, you might write something like “ My role in the project was to undertake user research and evaluation of prototypes ”.

The process of the UX case study

This part of the case study explains the steps that you took to arrive at a solution. Here, you should highlight the activities that you took and illustrate those activities with sketches, photographs, diagrams or other design artifacts or deliverables that you produced. Bear in mind that the focus here is on the process , so emphasis on iterations, rising challenges, alternatives, decision points and conflict resolution is paramount.

You should always start with some user research that frames the problem. For example, you might write this:

“We analyzed the to-do lists of 140 users aged 18-40 for a period of 3 weeks and discovered that about 60% of their tasks were location-dependent. From this analysis, we made 4 user personas and defined their experiences in managing to-do lists with customer journey maps .”

You could show one persona and one journey map here to illustrate.

Then, show how you progressed into ideation for solutions – for example, putting in a sequence of sketches that shows a user interface design evolution from napkin drawing, to low-fidelity wireframes, then interactive low-fidelity prototypes and a final pixel-perfect design shows that you have progressed from early concepts to an end product.

It’s important to annotate these with information, too, which describes how the evolution took place through consultation and evaluation . For example, next to your napkin drawing, you might say “ we carried out a focus group with 20 users to co-design an early prototype based on this idea ” and then show 2-3 alternative low-fidelity UI sketches that emerged as an output of that process. Then you might show a wireframe emerge from these sketches and say something like “ undertaking heuristic and lab-based user evaluation, we selected Alternative 2 as the way forward, but improved it with features from Alternatives 1 & 3 which were found to work better in the lab ”.

The conclusion of the UX case study

This last part of the structure shows your final answer to the original question. It’s not enough here simply to show your final deliverable. In this section, you have to demonstrate impact – how did your designed product improve the situation? Remember that the final step in every Design-Thinking process is evaluation. So, mention what you learned through lab tests, field tests, analytics mining or other data you have – e.g., “ In a 3-week field trial with 30 users, we found that these location-sensitive reminders led to less cluttered to-do lists for our users, since they were able to act on the reminders and cross them off their list instead of postponing them. ” Charts and statistics are great for demonstrating this impact.

However, don’t just stay stuck on the impact bit. It’s also important to highlight the lessons you learned and that you later reflected on your experience. What would you do differently if you had more time or resources to spend on the project? You might say this, for example: “ We found that 20% of the tasks in the to-do lists related to things that other people had to do, instead of the user. We didn’t have the budget or time to address this challenge, but in the future, we could revisit the project and focus on collaborative aspects of task managemen t.” Do remember to acknowledge your co-workers and collaborating stakeholders in the last section, too, as this shows a teamworking spirit.

“To design is to communicate clearly by whatever means you can control or master.” — Milton Glaser, celebrated American graphic designer

UX case studies are an exercise in communication

One of the most important skills for a UX professional is the ability to communicate. A UX case study is a demonstration of that ability, so writing good case studies doesn’t only demonstrate your technical and other professional skills; it also gives you a chance to prove how effective your communication skills are.

We will end this piece with a final note on UX case study structures. Many UX professionals believe that a great case study should end with a great product, but this is not always the case. First of all, remember that greatness is a relative attribute – what works well for you might be less than optimal for the person next to you and his/her own circumstances. It is also a temporary attribute: An app that was great back in 2005 was probably next to useless by 2017 – given that so much of the hardware and people’s lives had changed in the interim. However, what remains is the process – how you masterfully employed your critical thinking and knowledge of methodology to solve a difficult design problem, in the context and constraints that applied to the project at the time.

In this sense, don’t be shy to demonstrate those grand projects where the shining element was your approach to the work, even though the end product might have lost some of its luster.

The Take Away

A UX case study is an account of the events that led you to the discovery of some new knowledge, the answer to a UX design problem. Keeping in mind the recruiters’ need to answer their “what if” question (i.e., “What would it be like if this person joined our team and we had to work with him/her every day?”), structuring your case studies in the shape of an “idea” type of story will help recruiters get a glimpse of the world through your eyes, and provide a (hopefully) positive response to their question.

Your case study is a glimpse into your way of thinking: It is a demonstrator of process and critical reflection, rather than of the end product. There are only three parts to a UX case study structure (the beginning, the process and the conclusion), but knowing how much and what type of content is appropriate for each part will get you off to a good start on writing eye-grabbing case studies.

References & Where to Learn More

Hero Image: Copyright holder: Jacopo Romei, Flickr. Copyright terms and license: CC BY-SA 2.0

Course: “User Experience: The Beginner’s Guide”

Turlington, S. (2010). Why are stories so important?

Card, O. S. (2015). The 4 Story Structures that Dominate Novels

Naji, C. (2017). 8 tips for UX job interviews: questions & insights from UX managers

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UX Case Study Template

UX Case Study Template preview

Description:

Carex is a UX Case Study Template made to help UX Designers create and organize their case study without any struggle. It covers almost all the UX research processes and methods making it easier for designers to build and enhance their projects.

The contents in the template are created as easily editable components so that the designers can build their projects efficiently.

-Problem Statement

-Our Process

-Objectives & Goals

-Business Challenge

-Quantitative Research

-User Needs

-Features & Functionalities

-Product User Challenges

-Competitor Analysis

-Unique Features

-User Persona

-Task Mapping

-Eisen Hover Matrix

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  1. 15 Excellent UX Case Studies Every Creative Should Read

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  2. UX Case Study Template

    design stories ux case study

  3. UX Case Study Template

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  4. how to create a ux case study

    design stories ux case study

  5. Top 22 Stunning UX Case Studies You Should Know in 2020

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  6. Storyboarding in UX Design. by Nick Babich

    design stories ux case study

VIDEO

  1. UI/UX Portfolio Case Studies that got us HIRED

  2. "A 2 Month plan for getting opportunities as a Beginner"

  3. Things I hate when it comes to UX

  4. Story Boarding in UX (Part 8

  5. UX Case Study Review

  6. UX/UI Job Opportunities Series

COMMENTS

  1. 11 Inspiring UX Case Studies That Every Designer Should Study

    Therefore, UX case studies play an important role in the recruitment and demand for designers. What Makes a Powerful Case Study. Building a UX case study includes showing the design process through compelling stories. They will use plain language to demonstrate how they handled key design issues, offering a comprehensive view of their process.

  2. 15 Excellent UX Case Studies Every Creative Should Read

    Introduction: This UX case study example starts with a design brief and presents the main challenges and requirements. In short, the UX designer presents the problem, their solution, and their role. Middle: The actual story of the case study example explains the design process and the techniques used. This usually starts with obstacles, design ...

  3. UX Case Studies

    Driving action by orchestrating designs that tap into how we are wired. Andrés Zapata. Nov 13, 2020. Cases studies from professionals and students who decide to share their process with the world. We believe designers are thinkers as much as they are makers. Curated stories on UX, Visual & Product Design. https://linktr.ee/uxc.

  4. 55 UX Case Studies To Improve Your Product Skills

    Superhuman onboarding. Trello onboarding. Sleepzy onboarding. Duolingo retention. Calm referrals. Spotify onboarding. Spotify vs Apple. See exactly how companies like Tinder, Airbnb, Trello, Uber and Tesla design products that people love. One new user experience case study every month.

  5. Top 22 Stunning UX Case Studies You Should Know in 2022

    2. GnO Well Being - Branding, Web Desing & UX. Designer: Marina Yalanska and Olga Zakharyan. Case Study: GnO Well Being. This is a creative illustration website that presents and sells a weighted designer blanket that helps you get a good night's sleep, the first step to good health and a better life.

  6. 20+ Outstanding UX/UI Design Case Studies

    About. Discover an expertly curated collection of 20+ inspirational UX/UI design case studies that will empower you to create outstanding case studies for your own portfolio. Comprehensive end-to-end case studies covering research, ideation, design, testing, and conclusions. Perfect for designers building portfolios and looking for inspiration ...

  7. The Complete Guide to UX Case Studies

    A UX case study is the story of a design solution. Like any good story, you must define the characters and their problems. You should talk about the user persona and the problems they experienced before implementing the new design. This will help the reader understand user pain points and benefits.

  8. Complete Guide to Building an Awesome UX Case Study

    Make sure your text is reasonably concise, use headers and strong visual hierarchy, and use bullet points and lists when possible. If you need a refresher on how to achieve this, check out our guide to the principles of visual hierarchy. Ok, let's take a look at each step in a bit more detail. 2. Anatomy of a UX case study.

  9. The Ultimate UX Case Study Template

    The Ultimate UX Case Study Template. Ákos Izsák. January 4, 2022. Having a template to follow is the biggest help in UX case study writing. Even more so, if you're a junior who doesn't have much experience with portfolios. A template can help you plan, organize your thoughts while showing you the light at the end of the tunnel.

  10. UX Case Studies

    UX case studies are examples of design work which designers include in their portfolio. To give recruiters vital insights, designers tell compelling stories in text and images to show how they handled problems. Such narratives showcase designers' skills and ways of thinking and maximize their appeal as potential hires.

  11. 12 Most-Read UX Design Articles and Case Studies by Tubik in 2020

    Striking the creative balance of 2020, we've made the list of UX design articles and case studies in Tubik Blog that were most-read, shared, and liked this year. With the year 2020 melting away, fruitful on design articles and case studies in Tubik Blog, we keep up with the tradition to give you a glance at the most popular ones.

  12. UX Case Studies: The Ultimate Guide for Product Designers

    A case study in UX design is a detailed examination and presentation of a specific project or problem that a UX designer has worked on. It provides a comprehensive overview of the design process, methodologies used, challenges faced, and the ultimate outcomes. ... Tell a story: Structure your case study like a narrative, starting with a problem ...

  13. How To Create Your UX Case Study

    Most UX case studies follow this similar formula, with a walkthrough of your design process, and can be broken down into 5 sections: Overview. Define the scope. Give your audience a high-level project overview and context of the project. The first paragraph should tell the reader what you're planning to talk about.

  14. How to Write Great Case Studies for Your UX Design Portfolio

    The best way to write a case study is to tell it like a story. This way, your case studies become a vessel through which recruiters can imagine a future working with you, since they get to experience and understand exactly how you solve a design problem. Your recruiters will also enjoy the familiarity and structure of a story arc, and they'll ...

  15. How to Create Effective UX Case Studies with Aristotle's 7 ...

    Décor: The Look and Feel of Your UX Case Studies. Apply the Right Décor: Checklist of Questions to Ask Yourself. 7. Spectacle: The Wow Factor. Create the Right Spectacle: Checklist of Questions to Ask Yourself. Plan Your Case Study Well to Maximize its Impact.

  16. The Ultimate Guide to UX User Stories [With Examples]

    UX user stories are generally one sentence long and made up of three parts: The subject of the action (i.e. the user's name) The action the subject/user wants to do. The outcome they want to achieve. By following this structure they look like this: As <1>, I want to <2>, so that <3>.

  17. A UX Case Study Template Guide

    In the dynamic world of UX design, a case study serves as a showcase of your skills, telling the story of a project from inception to completion. ... Do's and Don'ts of Designing a UX Case ...

  18. Design stories organized by case studies

    Stories, articles and tutorials focused on case studies. Design at Meta is a window into the unique expertise and perspectives of the multidisciplinary teams who are building the future of digital connection and bringing the world closer together.

  19. UX Case Study Example #1 plus free template

    UX Case Study Example #1 plus free template. June 10, 2021 by Calvin Pedzai. In my last article, I shared the free UX Portfolio Case Study template that I developed based on over 60 portfolios of successful design hires from Facebook, Amazon, Uber, Twitter, Apple, Google, LinkedIn, Dropbox and the insights of top design recruiters.

  20. FAANG UX case study: Our story and 5 tips for you

    Tip 3: Tell human stories. One key strength of our Airbnb case study was storytelling. Even though we followed a standard case study structure, we told the story in a very human and engaging way which made it easy to follow and memorable. Here are 4 practical tips to improve storytelling in your case study:

  21. How to create the perfect structure for a UX case study

    A UX case study has to tell a story about you. Like all good stories, case studies benefit greatly from a solid structure that guides the reader through your thinking and experience. ... the starting question, the process, the answer. And remember that just like any project that you designed, your UX case study is also a product of design ...

  22. UX Case Study Template

    Carex is a UX Case Study Template made to help UX Designers create and organize their case study without any struggle. It covers almost all the UX research processes and methods making it easier for designers to build and enhance their projects. The contents in the template are created as easily editable components so that the designers can ...

  23. UX Case Study

    Discover 700+ UX Case Study designs on Dribbble. Your resource to discover and connect with designers worldwide. ... Website Design. UX Design Case Study for an Informative Website. Like. ABU MD EHSAN. Like. 3 1k View Improving the search experience of an online marketplace. Improving the search experience of an online marketplace ...

  24. How to lay out your design portfolio to make your work stand out

    Find the date when your design changes went live; Look at the "User Adoption" section and see if it's trending upwards. However, if you don't have something as clear-cut as that, we turn to what we defined in the Goal/Problem sections for clues for progress. In my case, my gesture-based interface was never adopted into surgical ...

  25. Top 10 Cognitive Biases in Product Design

    A UI design case study to redesign an example user interface using logical rules or guidelines. ... 257 stories · 455 saves. Stories to Help You Grow as a Designer ... 13 min read · Feb 28, 2024--5. uxpeak. Top UI/UX Design Tips & Tricks Every Designer Should Know, Part 6 + Bonus. Hey there! 4 min read ...