Want a high-impact project for your UX Design Portfolio that you can finish in under a week? Rohan Mishra (uxcoach) breaks down a pragmatic, day-by-day plan you can follow to create a concept case study that demonstrates thinking, execution, and user testing—no degree or prior job required. This article translates his video into a clear, scannable roadmap so you can start building right now.

Table of Contents

• Why this 7-day plan works for your UX Design Portfolio
• Overview: What you’ll do each day
• Day 1: Find a problem worth solving
• Day 2: Stop guessing — talk to real people
• Day 3: Ideation & low-fidelity wireframes
• Day 4: High-fidelity design (3–5 screens)
• Day 5: Prototype — make it interactive
• Day 6: Usability testing and iteration
• Day 7: Document the case study for your UX Design Portfolio
• Tips to make this project stand out in your UX Design Portfolio
• FAQ
• Final words

Why this 7-day plan works for your UX Design Portfolio

This approach focuses on one thing: shipping a complete case study that tells a story. Recruiters and hiring managers want to see how you think, how you design, and how you validate ideas. A short, focused project—documented well—can communicate that in under three minutes.

Overview: What you’ll do each day

1. Day 1 — Problem finding and selection
2. Day 2 — User interviews and a clear problem statement
3. Day 3 — Ideation and low-fidelity wireframes
4. Day 4 — High-fidelity screens (key flows only)
5. Day 5 — Interactive prototype in Figma
6. Day 6 — Usability tests and quick iterations
7. Day 7 — Document the case study for your UX Design Portfolio

Day 1: Find a problem worth solving

Action: Brainstorm 30 pet peeves—everyday frustrations, annoyances, and inefficiencies you notice. The goal is quantity; uncover problems you actually care about.

Then score your top 5 ideas using a seven-parameter framework. Create a simple table and rate each idea on:

• Time impact (does it consume a lot of time?)
• Money impact (does it cost you or others money?)
• Physical/mental toll (is it stressful or harmful?)
• How common is the problem (are others also affected?)
• Willingness to pay (are people already paying to solve it?)
• Competition (direct & indirect competitors)
• Is it digitally solvable (app, web, SaaS)?

Pick the problem that scores highest and that you personally align with—this will be the focus of your case study.

Day 2: Stop guessing — talk to real people

Action: Interview 3–5 people who face the problem. Ask open-ended questions about their current experience, challenges, and any hacks they use.

Tips:

• Don’t jump in to “help”—let them describe their pain in their own words.
• Capture strong quotes and observable frustrations.
• Use responses to write a crisp problem statement using this formula: “Who (audience) struggles with what (problem) which leads to why (emotional or long-term cost).”

Example problem statement: “A bachelor living in a tier-one city, away from family, struggles to get nutritious food on time, which leads to poor health and overspending on food delivery platforms.”

Day 3: Ideation & low-fidelity wireframes

Action: Generate 10–15 quick ideas on paper. Focus on quantity. Combine the best parts into a low-fidelity wireframe that captures the core flow.

Guidelines:

• Use pen and paper first—speed matters.
• Don’t worry about UI details (colors, fonts, images).
• Concentrate on the main user journey and task completion.

Day 4: High-fidelity design (3–5 screens)

Action: Convert your wireframes into 3–5 high-fidelity screens in Figma—only the screens required to solve the core problem.

Why 3–5 screens?

• Hiring managers want to see the solution—not every edge case (skip login, forgot password, etc.).
• Quality over quantity: make it look clean, professional, and easy to scan.

Day 5: Prototype — make it interactive

Action: Link screens in Figma to create a clickable prototype that demonstrates the full user journey from start to finish.

Key points:

• Make buttons clickable, allow scrolling/swiping where relevant.
• Prototype enough to test the main task; it should feel like a real app when using Figma Mirror.

Day 6: Usability testing and iteration

Action: Test the prototype with 3–5 people (ideally the same people you interviewed). Ask them to complete the primary task without help and think aloud.

Observe and note:

• What’s clear vs. unclear
• Why they clicked certain elements and what they expected
• One or two major pain points to fix

Make small, high-impact changes to the flow based on observed confusion. You’re aiming for clarity and reduced friction—not a complete redesign.

Day 7: Document the case study for your UX Design Portfolio

Action: Package the week’s work into a scannable case study that a hiring manager can read in under three minutes.

Include:

• A one-line summary: problem, solution, impact
• The research and interview highlights (quotes & insights)
• Low-fidelity sketches and the final screens
• Prototype link and testing notes
• One or two measurable outcomes or next steps

Make the case study easy to scan—use visuals and clear headings so someone can understand your process and skills quickly.

Tips to make this project stand out in your UX Design Portfolio

• Show the process—hiring managers care about your thinking more than polished pixels.
• Use real quotes and test results to validate your decisions.
• Attach the Figma prototype so reviewers can interact with your work.
• Iterate: share your case study for feedback and improve it until it gets traction.

FAQ

How long should a case study in my UX Design Portfolio be?

Keep it concise and scannable. Aim for a one-line summary, 3–5 visuals (research snippets, sketches, final screens), and a prototype link. A hiring manager should grasp your skills in under three minutes.

Do I need real users and paid projects for my portfolio?

No. Concept projects are acceptable if you validate assumptions with real user interviews and usability tests. The validation and process are what matter most.

How many projects should be in a junior UX Design Portfolio?

Quality beats quantity. 3–5 well-documented case studies that show variety (research, product design, interaction) are better than many shallow examples.

Can I reuse this 7-day plan for other problems?

Yes—this is a repeatable template. Tackle different problem spaces and repeat the cycle to build a stronger portfolio over time.

Where can I learn more about the seven-parameter framework mentioned?

Rohan provides a resource for evaluating problems—search for his “7 parameter to evaluate if a problem is worth solving” to access the worksheet and form he references.

Final words

This seven-day roadmap helps you build a complete case study that belongs in your UX Design Portfolio: find a real problem, validate it with users, iterate quickly, and document the process. Start today—ship a case study, gather feedback, and iterate until it opens doors. Credit: Rohan Mishra (uxcoach) for the original framework and walkthrough.