Well, damn.

Today, I got rejected for representation by an agency that manages, among other things, UX designers. Their rejection was swift and merciless:

"While your profile meets some of our requirements, currently we feel you are not a fit for the type of work we cater to. We would suggest you to improve the presentation of each project and try to showcase them in the best quality possible, your presentation is as important a step in the design process, as the work itself. We also look at your knowledge with the latest design trends, accessibility issues, and color palette, as well as your design process as a whole. You may reapply in 3 months."

How could this happen? I know the design process is important. Of course I keep up to date with the latest trends. My color palettes are extensively thought out, down to the exact shade. I feel confident that I am, in my day to day work, the shiz. So where did I go wrong?

Then I looked back at what I sent them. What I didn't say hit me like a mack truck. I've lamented for so long that I don't have the amount of support I need. I wear three (sometimes more) hats and play the strategist, product manager, designer - hell sometimes, even the developer. But that was no where in my portfolio. I kept it clean, professional, and selected just a few pieces of the process. I listed some of the clients' challenges, but none of my own. I put so much of my soul into the work I do, but there was no way for a stranger to see that in my case studies. They just aren't detailed or human enough. I see where I went wrong.

My mission now is going to be a long-game. It's not going to happen overnight, in fact with my current workload I'll consider myself lucky if I finish it before my three month pseudo-probation is up. It's an investment I desperately need to make though, and I intend to document the entire thing.

Baby Step One

I knew I needed to treat this minor setback as one of my UX challenges. What am I trying to solve? What assets do I have? Where are my challenges, and my "unfair advantages"? What's the market like? Who else is out there, and what do they do?

My first step was to research case studies by UX designers, some who I found myself, and some who actually did pass the test and were represented by the agency I am trying to join. What do the pros include in their case studies? What I found was that there seems to be no right way to do this. There's no formula or template, and I like my formulas and templates. That's cool, I can fix that. Here's a stream-of-consciousness list of thoughts and ideas that I gathered from my research:

• It can be a good idea to separate case studies for the main project and some key individual features.

• Display technical diagrams like sitemaps and technical specs. If these are proprietary, edit them a bit or white out some key elements.

• Show the process of a single screen from sketch to wireframe.

• Show the differences in states and experiences for different stakeholders.

• Include the short, individual interaction videos supplied to developers.

• Include the boring stuff like the weeks spent analysing current flows.

• Include before / after comparisons of screens that were redesigned, even if (especially if) you didn't do the before.

• Personas are a must for each project. I admittedly rarely get time to do nice ones, but that's an area I could dedicate some time to.

• Demonstrate the process with charts and graphs of the design process and software lifecycles.

• Include a project timeline. My deadlines are usually insanely tight, this needs to be demonstrated in the case study itself so everything is seen in context.

• Include better descriptions of the companies I've worked with. I've got some big names on there, don't hide them in a little logo.

• Call out specific tools used in the process. It matters when you use Photoshop vs Illustrator vs Sketch, etc.

• Spend more time on the challenges and briefing that happens before the project even starts.

• It could be a good idea to have a section dedicated to how I approach each step of the design process, combining examples from each individual case study.

• I think I'm going to need a copywriter. Those blocks of text are not my area of expertise, to say the least. Even this blog is mostly in bullets.

• Call out what the deliverables were, and how I delivered against each one.

• Include quotes from the specific client when available.

• Discuss how the user is outside of the digital realm. Show that your solutions are connected to their daily lives.

What now?

So here's where today's story ends. Personally, my next step is to perform a pretty extensive audit of what I've been up to the last five years, and gather all of the stats, docs, research, whiteboard photos, mockups and scraps of paper that show why I do things the way I do them. I've got a hunch that something interesting is going to emerge from that. Stay tuned, internet.

Want to keep up to date with this project, share your own experience, or offer some some words of encouragement? Follow me on Twitter @ashleymarinep!