Day 7 - Portfolio or Graveyard? When to Remove Old Work From Your UX Portfolio
- lw5070
- 6 hours ago
- 7 min read
PORTFOLIO WEEK - Day 7
Welcome Back to Portfolio Week!
We conclude Portfolio Week by addressing the long-term strategy of portfolio maintenance. You’ve built a strong, data-driven portfolio that reflects your current best work. But how do you keep it that way?
Your portfolio is not a museum; it is a highly curated sales tool. (In case, you missed any parts, you can check out the last episode here.)
Today, we provide the framework for strategic curation, helping you identify the three key triggers that signal when a project has reached its expiration date. Learn how to retire old work gracefully, preventing your portfolio from becoming a "graveyard" that dilutes the impact of your future success.
On to today's episode.
When to Remove Old Work From Your Portfolio
Your UX portfolio is not a museum; it is a highly curated sales tool. Its purpose is not to document your entire career history, but to secure your next job.
As you grow as a designer, your skills, your process, and the industry itself evolve. The projects that landed you your first job may now be actively working against you. Holding onto outdated or irrelevant work transforms your portfolio from a dynamic showcase into a graveyard—a place where old ideas go to dilute the impact of your best work.
This post provides a strategic framework for portfolio curation, helping you identify when a project has reached its expiration date and how to retire it gracefully to keep your portfolio fresh, relevant, and focused on the job you want.
1. The Core Principle: Quality Over Quantity
The fundamental rule of portfolio curation is simple: Always replace a weaker project with a stronger one.
Hiring managers are looking for a clear signal of your current capabilities. When you include a project that is significantly weaker than your best work, you force the reviewer to average your skill level, which ultimately lowers their perception of your potential.
The ideal number of case studies remains 3 to 5. Every time you complete a new, high-impact project, you should be asking which of your existing projects it is strong enough to replace.
2. The Three Expiration Triggers: When to Retire a Project
A project should be retired when it meets one or more of the following three criteria. These are the red flags that signal a project is doing more harm than good.
Trigger 1: The Skill Gap (Does it represent your current best?)
The most common reason to retire a project is that it no longer reflects your current skill level or the type of work you want to do.
The Problem
The project showcases a skill you have since mastered. For example, a student project that only focuses on visual design when you are now applying for a Senior UX Strategist role.
The Test: Ask yourself
"If I were to start this project today, would I do anything differently?" If the answer is a resounding "Yes," and the differences are fundamental (e.g., you would use a different research method, a more modern design system, or a more strategic approach), it is time to retire it.
The Exception
If an old project is the only example you have of a critical skill (e.g., enterprise design, accessibility audit), keep it until you have a modern replacement, but add a "Retrospective" section explaining what you would update now.
Trigger 2: The Relevance Gap (Does it align with your target job?)
Your portfolio should be a targeted document, not a general archive. Projects that do not align with the industry or role you are applying for should be removed.
The Problem
You are applying for a FinTech UX role, but your portfolio is dominated by a case study on a niche e-commerce site from five years ago.
The Test
Ask yourself: "Does this project help me get the job I want next?" If the answer is "No," or if the project is in a completely different domain, it is diluting your focus.
The Fix
Tailor your portfolio. While you should have a core set of 3-5 projects, you should be prepared to swap out one or two to align with a specific job application. If you are applying for a role that requires strong research, lead with your most research-heavy case study, even if it is not your most visually stunning.
Trigger 3: The Technology Gap (Is the design language outdated?)
Technology and design trends move quickly. A project that looks visually or interactionally dated can signal a lack of currency with modern design standards.
The Problem
The visual design looks like it belongs to a previous era (e.g., heavy shadows, skeuomorphism, outdated typography), or the interaction patterns are no longer standard (e.g., a complex hamburger menu when a bottom navigation bar is now the norm).
The Test
Ask yourself: "Does this project use a design language that is more than 3-4 years old?" If so, it suggests you may not be familiar with modern tools, design systems, or best practices.
The Fix
If the underlying UX process is still strong, consider a "Visual Refresh." Keep the process documentation but update the final mockups to reflect a modern aesthetic. If the core UX is also flawed, it is time to retire the project entirely.
3. The Graceful Retirement: What to Do with Old Work
Retiring a project doesn't mean deleting it forever. It means moving it out of the spotlight so it doesn't distract from your current best work.
Retirement Strategy | When to Use It | How to Implement |
The Archive | For projects that are too weak for the main portfolio but too valuable to delete (e.g., early projects, academic work). | Create a separate, password-protected "Archive" page. Only share the password if specifically requested by a recruiter. |
The Snippet | For projects that demonstrate a single, valuable skill but don't warrant a full case study. | Extract a single, powerful visual (e.g., a user flow diagram, a key research finding) and include it in a "Skills Showcase" or "Other Work" section. |
The Retrospective | For projects that are strategically relevant but technically outdated. | Keep the case study but add a final section titled "2026 Retrospective" where you critique your past work and explain how you would apply modern techniques. |
4. The Curation Mindset: Always Be Documenting
The best way to avoid a portfolio graveyard is to adopt a continuous documentation mindset.
Document as You Go
Don't wait until you need a new job to update your portfolio. As soon as a project milestone is hit (e.g., research synthesis complete, usability test results are in), take a few minutes to document the key findings and visuals. This prevents the "poorly documented old project" problem.
Keep a "Portfolio Pipeline"
Maintain a list of all your current projects and rank them by their potential portfolio impact. This allows you to strategically focus your documentation efforts on the projects most likely to replace your weakest link.
Your Portfolio is Your Future - Make it Count
Your portfolio is a reflection of your future, not just your past. By ruthlessly curating your work and retiring projects that no longer serve your career goals, you ensure that every piece of content is working hard to sell your highest potential.
Be honest with yourself about your work. If a project is a graveyard, let it rest in peace and make room for the next great story you have to tell.
Portfolio Week Summary: The 7-Day Blueprint for Success
Episode Title | Key Takeaway | Description | ||
Day 1 | Foundation | Establish a modern, competitive portfolio with a non-negotiable checklist, focusing on emerging elements like AI-assisted workflows and accessibility. | ||
Day 2 | Mindset | Control the implicit narrative. Your attention to detail, visual consistency, and clarity of voice signal your professionalism and strategic maturity. | ||
Day 3 | Structure | Master the "story of transformation" with a clear, replicable five-step framework: Executive Summary, Context, Process, Impact, and Reflection. | ||
Day 4 | Usability | Apply core UX principles (IA and Visual Hierarchy) to your portfolio. Use bold text, descriptive headings, and visual breaks to make your content instantly scannable. | ||
Day 5 | Pitfalls | Learn from common errors like the "diary entry" case study and focusing only on the final UI. Focus on process, personality, and ruthless curation. | ||
Day 6 | Strategy | Move beyond vanity metrics. Align your design work with business goals and use simple, annotated visualizations to prove your quantifiable impact. | ||
Day 7 | Maintenance | Adopt a curation mindset. Retire projects that fail the Skill, Relevance, or Technology Gap tests to ensure your portfolio always reflects your current highest potential. |
Your Portfolio is Your Future
We conclude Portfolio Week with a final, crucial lesson: your portfolio is a living product that requires continuous maintenance and strategic curation. By retiring outdated work and focusing only on the projects that reflect your current best self, you ensure that your portfolio remains a powerful, forward-looking sales tool.
Over the past seven days, we have moved from the foundational elements of a modern portfolio to the advanced strategies of data visualization and long-term curation. We have established that a winning portfolio is not just a collection of screens, but a demonstration of your strategic thinking, your problem-solving process, and your ability to deliver measurable business impact.
The journey to a job-winning portfolio is continuous. Take the lessons from this week, apply them with the same rigor you apply to your best design projects, and transform your portfolio from a passive document into an active, interview-generating machine.
This concludes our Portfolio Week series. We hope this 7-day blueprint provides the strategic clarity and actionable steps you need to transform your portfolio and land your next role.
Thank you for joining us!
Now go forth and design your future.