UXmatters, a web magazine about user experience, just published the second article in my new bimonthly column, Client Matters, where I give UX professionals an honest look at initiating and managing relationships with clients.
The latest article is titled, Process, Not Portfolio. In it I argue that showing your previous work in a portfolio isn't what is going to turn a prospective client into a paying one; rather it's how you did the work and how well you can explain how the process affected the outcome that will help you land the gig.
When I have a meeting with a prospective client, I don't show my resumé and go through the whole chronology of my previous work. A lot of my projects are showcased in my online portfolio, so if they're curious to see what I've done before, they can have a gander. Instead, I focus the discussion on a single project—one that involved a problem that is similar to the one they are facing—and I walk through the process I used to help discover the best solution.
I've gotten pretty comfortable doing this spiel. I start off by setting the stage: This is who my previous client was. When we started, these were their goals; their challenges. Then, while I go through each deliverable for the project, I recount the evolution of how I analyzed the problem space, identified the areas of opportunity, and facilitated the planning of a holistic design solution. As I describe my process, give examples of my insights, and explain how they informed the design, I can see their eyes light up.
Huge thanks goes to Al Abut, Chris Avore, Elizabeth Bacon, Will Evans, Chris Fahey, Robert Gorell, Paul Hibbitts, Andrew Hinton, Gabby Hon, Matt Nish-Lapidus, and Mary Shaw, who all shared their experiences and helped me mold my initial argument into something much stronger. And to Pabini Gabriel-Petit, founder and editor-in-chief of UXmatters, for her skilled "red pen".
this is so true… I have found (in my experience) that clients do appreciate a nice portfolio, but they appreciate a record of success even more… hearing the process and how you have helped previous clients achieve their goals can speak volumes.