How to prepare an interaction design application portfolio
2018.04 Sharing experience in completing the interactive portfolio application with DIY and getting the ideal school
Part1 最重要的说在最前面的话，搞清楚自己想要的交互到底是哪种！
“交互“这个概念范围非常广、涵盖的领域非常复杂，就我个人申请完觉得分为以下几类：
-基于互联网的uiux（主流）
-视觉传达设计
-综合产品设计（主流）
-游戏设计
-交互装置、互动媒体（主流）
-服务设计、信息科学
-人机交互（主流）
Part2 关键点
1、作品集的项目很重要
如果是全新的作品的话，能够选一个比较好的项目主题是一个捷径。但要标齐的对象应该是你的作品集审阅的目标对象。
其实不论是把作品集提交给学校申请还是公司求职，最主要的最好的逻辑都是能够对标它的期待值、倾向性，即它期待一个什么样的设计师、期待一个什么样的作品集。
关于调查你的目标对象的期待值、倾向性也是完全有途径可以知晓一个大概的，就算没有办法完全琢磨审阅人的标准，毕竟千人千面。比如，一份求职作品集，可以实现调查求职公司调性、岗位的业务需求，可以适当对作品集项目进行调整匹配。如果是一个申请学校的作品集，那就是可以去学校项目的网站查阅相关，比如过往学生作品、项目介绍、课程设置、哪怕是学校项目的网站就能够比较直观的调查出这个项目的调性，再去对标自己的项目。
这里分别举个假设案例，比如要应聘的是互联网公司的uiux，那可能作品集需要放一些偏向过去做过的app啊ui啊这种项目，那风格可能更加成熟商业化。如果是一本全部都是艺术性个人抽象的作品就不合适，至少要放一些能够证明你具有ui的能力的项目。如果是申请某个学校的项目，比如调查下来这个项目比较偏向批判现实主义的比较注重社会性的，那就可能需要有一些能够带给社会启发性、具有公共价值的项目会比较好。
当然，更多时候，我们做一本作品集是用来同时应对多个场合，即多个目标对象的，可能目标对象们也有差异，可以做的比较通用的比较高效的做法可能是，把多个类型的项目按照比例进行分配，比如说做2个装置项目，做1个比较传统uiux的项目，做一个包装数据可视化之类的，项目的偏向自己看着调配比例，同时也是更加凸显设计师的一个全能力。
下面是一些学校的交互项目的差异性，每个项目的偏向性都不一样
（交互这个中文概念代表的内涵非常复杂）
2、项目的过程是关键（不能只呈现结果）
视觉传达作品集很多时候也不同于传统的平面设计，它需要把something能够通过设计师的视觉的手段良好地传达给目标受众。鉴于视觉设计师这样的价值定位，所以最终的设计产出其实不是一拍脑袋想到的结果，是一个基于设计思维逻辑和设计方法的过程。
作品集要把这些过程和结果完美的展现。这些过程可能包括：项目的背景、项目的inspiration、项目相关的设计理论支持、项目的方案思维探索、项目的展现效果、项目的反馈等等。这不仅仅能够让作品集看起来逻辑感很强、外表很充实丰满专业，也能够让阅读者了解到你的思维方式是怎么样的、你的无可替代的设计师的思维在哪里。
3、设计的输入
在具体实施设计的过程中，设计师需要很多inspiration和reference去帮助更好地规划以及达到视觉效果。美的东西是有迹可循的，直接的设计作品的欣赏和间接的日常的很多积累都是获取设计输入的途径。我个人非常喜欢behance，基本有事没事刷一刷，除了follow那些喜欢的设计师，我还会把它们存在我的书签里。
我经常在这些地方吸取灵感：
behance ：
时不时就去翻一翻，基本全球最优秀设计师都在po作品，上面也可以找到设计师和设计工作室的个人网站，可以学到很多网站的交互，都是交互效果非常棒的网站。
issuu：
是一个我在准备作品集的初期经常浏览的网站，是一个公共开放的作品集（其实主要是杂志，但也有很多作品集，因为很多申请学生会把自己的在线pdf作品集中转到这里）
Part3 实施设计的工序（干活咯）
这个就因人而异了，我一般是这样：
前期一堆观察+彻夜思考+头脑风暴——想到一个项目，立项目；
然后根据这个项目进行更深度针对性的调研——research；
进行方案的推进，就是传统意义上地去做设计，可能会找大量的inspiration和reference辅助；
最后去整体单个项目排版，把整个项目的板式、展示方式都r最终呈现。（之前都是堆在文件夹的的乱乱的草草的物料）
ps：很多视觉传达设计师都会做线上作品集咯，其实做个网站是蛮好的展示方式（网站的话展示性更强，有更多的交互方式和能力），但没有网站的话，在线上平台发表也蛮好的，比如behance啦dribble啦站酷也行呀。
总结来看，设计师的作品集能够达到——
符合它的愿景+证明你的设计能力+品到你的独特性
that‘s pretty good ～！！
Part1 The most important thing to say at the beginning is to figure out what kind of interaction you want!
The concept of "interaction" has a very broad scope and covers very complex areas. After applying, I personally think it can be divided into the following categories:
-Internet-based uiux (mainstream)
-Visual communication design
-Integrated product design (mainstream)
-game design
-Interactive devices, interactive media (mainstream)
-Service design, information science
-Human-computer interaction (mainstream)
Part 2 Key Points 1. Portfolio projects are very important. If it is a brand new work, choosing a better project theme is a shortcut. But the people you want to align with should be the target audience for your portfolio review. In fact, whether you submit your portfolio to a school or apply for a job in a company, the most important and best logic is to be able to benchmark its expectations and tendencies, that is, what kind of designer it expects and what kind of work it expects. set.
There are ways to get a rough idea of the expectations and tendencies of your target audience, even if there is no way to fully understand the reviewer's standards. After all, there are thousands of different people. For example, a job-seeking portfolio can help you investigate the company's tonality and the business needs of the position, and adjust and match the portfolio items appropriately. If it is a portfolio for applying to a school, you can go to the school project website to check related information, such as past student works, project introductions, and curriculum. Even the school project website can intuitively investigate the tonality of the project. Then benchmark your own projects.
Here are some hypothetical cases. For example, if you are applying for UIUX of an Internet company, then your portfolio may need to include some apps or UI projects that you have done in the past. That style may be more mature and commercial. If it is a work that is all artistic and personal abstraction, it is not appropriate. At least put some projects that can prove your ability in UI. If you are applying for a project at a certain school, for example, according to the survey, this project is more critical realism and social-focused, then it may be better to have some projects that can inspire society and have public value.
Of course, more often than not, we create a portfolio to deal with multiple occasions at the same time, that is, multiple target audiences. The target audiences may also be different. A more general and efficient approach may be to combine multiple Each type of project is allocated according to the proportion. For example, two installation projects, one more traditional uiux project, one packaging data visualization, etc. The direction of the project depends on the allocation ratio, and it also highlights the designer. of a full capability.
The following are the differences between some schools’ interactive projects. Each project has a different bias.
(The Chinese concept of interaction represents a very complex connotation)
2. The process of the project is the key (you cannot just present the results). The visual communication portfolio is often different from traditional graphic design. It needs to convey something well to the target audience through the designer's visual means. In view of the value positioning of visual designers, the final design output is not something that comes to mind at once, but a process based on design thinking logic and design methods. The portfolio should perfectly display these processes and results. These processes may include: project background, project inspiration, project-related design theory support, project program thinking exploration, project presentation effect, project feedback, etc. This not only makes the portfolio look very logical, full and professional, but also allows readers to understand your way of thinking and where your irreplaceable designer’s thinking lies.
3. Design input In the process of implementing the design, designers need a lot of inspiration and references to help better plan and achieve visual effects. Beautiful things can be traced. Direct appreciation of design works and indirect daily accumulation are ways to obtain design input. I personally like behance very much. I usually browse it when I have nothing to do. In addition to following the designers I like, I will also save them in my bookmarks.
I often draw inspiration from these places:
behavior:
I check it out from time to time. Most of the best designers in the world are posting their works. You can also find the personal websites of designers and design studios on it. You can learn a lot about the interaction of websites. They are all websites with excellent interactive effects.
issuu：
It is a website that I often browsed when I was preparing my portfolio. It is a public and open portfolio (actually it is mainly magazines, but there are also many portfolios, because many applying students will transfer their online PDF portfolios here)
Part3 The process of implementing the design (doing the work)
This varies from person to person, but this is usually what I do:
A bunch of observations in the early stage + thinking all night long + brainstorming - think of a project and start the project;
Then conduct more in-depth targeted research based on this project - research;
To advance the plan is to design in the traditional sense, and you may need a lot of inspiration and reference assistance;
Finally, go to the overall layout of a single project, and finally present the format and display method of the entire project. (Before, it was all messy and hasty materials piled in folders)
ps: Many visual communication designers will make online portfolios. In fact, making a website is a good way to display them (a website is more displayable and has more interactive methods and capabilities), but if you don’t have a website, online Platforms for publishing are also good, such as behance, dribble, and zoku.
To sum up, a designer’s portfolio can achieve - conform to its vision + prove your design ability + taste your uniqueness that’s pretty good ~! !