Make readers want to keep reading to find out how you got to that point. Practically speaking, a full-width banner image with bold colors and appropriate branding, as well as a mockup or two (mirroring your homepage thumbnail) is the most effective. Follow this with a short paragraph of what the project is about and its background. You should also include a list of details such as the project duration, how big the team was, tools used, and most importantly, what your specific role in the project was.

Following this, make your problem statement bold and clear. It doesn’t have to be too formal. Juxtapose this with your solution. This could be a parallel statement, or a combination of words and graphics once again showing your final product, but more specifically highlighting sections or screens that demonstrate how it solves the problem you just stated.

Everything you’ve written up to this point should be enough to give the casual reader a good idea of the project background and what the final product looks like. They’d probably be fine moving on to another page on your portfolio. But for people who want to read more on this case study, make sure to clearly but concisely tell everything that relates to the work that you did. Structure the rest of your case study after the introduction like this: Research — E.g. competitive analysis, interview and survey results, and personas (if any). User flow(s) — Important to give an idea of how the app is meant to be used. Ideation — E.g. information architecture/site map, sketches, low-progressing-to-high fidelity wireframes, usability testing feedback, annotated iterations, and before/after examples. Final design — Complete prototype containing your highest fidelity wireframes. You could walk through a specific user flow, or just showcase different screens. Here is where gifs, an embedded prototype (more on this later), and demonstration videos should be placed. Conclusion — All good pieces of writing need a conclusion to stick the landing. Talk about next steps first, because readers’ minds are still on the prototype. Then, if applicable, mention direct impacts of the work you did, such as specific growth or revenue metrics. Then, give it a personal touch by talking about what you thought of the project, and the lessons learned.

Forget trying to decide what your life’s destiny is. That’s too grand. Instead, just figure out what you should do in the next 2 years.

Visuals can stir up feelings or paint a scene in an instant. However, they may not always nail down the details or explain things as clearly as words can. Words can be very precise and give you all the information you need. Yet, sometimes they miss that instant impact or emotional punch.

For each visual you add to your presentation, you should ask yourself “What does it really say?” And then check: Does it enhance the meaning of my message, or is it purely decorative? Does it belong at this point in my presentation? Would it be better for another slide? Is there a better image that says what I want to say?

Computers don’t feel, and that means: they don’t understand what they do, they grow images like cancer grows cells: They just replicate something into the blue. This becomes apparent in the often outright creepiness of AI images.

AI is really good at making scary images. Even if the prompt lacks all hints of horror kitsch, you need to get ready to see or feel something disturbing when you look at AI images. It’s like a spell. Part of the scariness comes from the cancer-like pattern that reproduces the same ornament without considering its meaning and consequence.

Placing pictures next to each other will invite comparisons. We also compare images that follow each other. Make sure that you do not inadvertently compare apples and oranges.

When placing multiple images in a grid or on one slide after the other, ensure they don’t clash in terms of colors, style, or resolution. Otherwise, people will focus more on the contrast between the images rather than their content.

Repeating what everyone can see is bad practice. To make pictures and text work, they need to have something to say about each other.

Don’t write next to the image what people already see. A caption is not an ALT text.

The most powerful combination of text and image happens when the text says about the image what you can’t see at first sight, and when the image renders what is hard to imagine.

Do not be boring or overly explanatory. The visual should attract their attention to your words and vice-versa.

If a visual lacks meaning, it becomes a decorative placeholder. It can dilute your message, distract from what you want to say, and even express disrespect to your audience.

Many case studies read to me like school homework: they knew what the answer and the process were “supposed to be” according to the textbook, so made up the story to fit. In reality, as you point out, it’s never smooth and linear. It’s messy and loopish. If you’re doing a good job, you rarely end up with anything remotely like you anticipated when you started out.

abandon your dogmatic and idealistic view of the design process, and keep learning about how flexible, messy, and beautiful it is.

I don’t speak about the “ideal” design process for a simple reason: it doesn’t exist. Design is never linear, and all projects are unique. The point is to show and explain your path from the kick-off to the final result in the portfolio.

If you tell a story, include the details and the things that didn’t work and how you adapted to overcome the problem, the design manager will empathise with you. For the five minutes it takes to read your case study, they’ll be in your shoes. It’ll remind them of all the times when they had similar problems and it’ll make them appreciate you and your struggles as a designer.

When I first started meeting founders, I wanted to help with anything and everything. Unfortunately, that's neither realistic or possible. For example, I have many responsibilities at my day job that must come first. Over time, I have honed in my pitch to be explicit about how I can and can't help. See the notes above about ways to be helpful, and find your own unique combination of value to bring to the table.

My contract typically looks like this: We agree to meet ~X hours per quarter/half/year Multiply by Y contracting rate Y ⨉ X = some dollar amount Z Divide Z by the startup's latest price per share to arrive at a number of advisor shares to grant

Be founder-friendly! It's a big deal and a lot of paperwork to get a smaller check or advisor on the cap table (unless they already have a lot of operational infrastructure in place) – this usually means being relaxed about the commitment paperwork or helping out pro-bono for the first few hours while they work through the logistics.

Finding founders you work well with can be a numbers game; you won't be sure what you like doing until you've met a handful of founders, done several advisory meetings, and poked at different types of problems. It's okay to dip your toe and warm up to the process before committing a lot of time and energy to this. I started slow, and have been steadily sharpening my own intuition about what kinds of products and founders get me excited, and where I can add unique value