Project Profile

Kai on

Kai Walker

Dr. Gu

English 8123

Project Profile

  • Type and purposes of the project: I will be creating an online portfolio for PhD purposes, as I will be applying to those this Fall. I will try to create a website that is reflective of myself and not a typical portfolio one may see in higher education circles. Since the PhD programs I am applying to are in the creative writing field, I felt I would have more flexibility in how I can design the website and represent myself—to be creative but still professional.
  • Client: As this is my online portfolio, the client will be myself. I will be using the opportunity to give a well-rounded view of who I am.

Bio: I am an English MA student in the Rhetoric & Composition concentration at Georgia State University. I am also a writing tutor at the university and have been given the additional role of “Writing for National Award Initiative Tutor” for 2024-2025. Before graduate school, I was an undergraduate at The University of North Georgia, Gainesville campus. There I was housed in the Interdisciplinary Studies department and studied alongside English and Film/Media majors. My official concentration was titled “Humanities and Fine & Performing Arts.” While there, I helped create a special topics course and formed an online journal. I also had the pleasure of having one of my poems published in their literary magazine, The Chestatee Review. I graduated as Summa Cum Laude and became a Sigma Tau Delta Alumni.

Currently, I am working on my upcoming thesis, which explores the intersection of rhetorical feminism, spirituality, and tarot.

  • Audiences: My primary audience will be professors. They will gauge who I am as a person and student before deciding whether to admit me. This means my website will have to portray me in great detail so they can walk away feeling as if they have a good idea of who I am. Their expectations will be in three parts: writer, researcher, and student. They must know what type of writer I am to see if it fits their specialties and interests and the program and cohort. As for research, the creative writing programs are still housed in the English department and have the intent of making one a scholar. They have to know if I can research as well as I write. Lastly, they need to know what type of student I am and how well I will fit in with my cohort. Basically, they are assessing my personality.
  • Content design: My content pages will be the homepage, with links to my writing history, tutoring philosophy, academic record, and autobiography.
  • Design tools: I plan to use Canva to design my site. I have the Pro version, which enables me to have premium design features. Through this platform, I will utilize a basic template and customize it.
  • Special concerns: A primary concern I have is how interdisciplinary my writing work is. I have an interest in technical and UX writing, as well as several creative forms. To add, I have a range in my research interests, from rhetorical feminism and Paganism to digital creation and information architecture. What I choose to focus on will heavily influence the aesthetic. I will take a risk because I want my design to reflect myself. I will try blending my taste of modern and professional (simplicity, black/gray/white) with spiritualism (unique symbolism).

Good Design Justification

Kai on

Name: danielautry.com

URL: Daniel Autry’s Portfolio

Background Information

  • I came across this website when I was searching UX portfolios. I ended up picking it among a slew of others due to its clean and sleek design as well as its brief and straightforwardness in terms of content. Daniel is a designer who has worked with prominent companies for UX case studies.

Content

  • The information provided on the homepage includes what work he’s done, who he’s worked for, what positions he’s held, and what his passions are.

Intended Audience

  • The intended audience is two-fold.
    • It is for companies hiring UXers, as the website is a portfolio.
    • It is also for other designers since he provides the link to his LinkedIn profile for those who may want to collaborate.

Intended Purposes

  • This website is intended to be a digital portfolio where he can showcase his work and establish his credibility (or ethos). He uses the homepage as a skimmable overview of his professional experiences and his passions. He provides links to other parts of the website or to other sources for those who want to learn more such as his design projects.

Design Choices

Header

  • Having “danielautry.com” as the link back to the homepage provides convenience by being quickly noticeable.
  • The place and time give a personal touch.
  • There is a good separation of space between different parts of information, and the small dots give further distinction.
  • As for the “Menu,” it displays a map dot showing where you are.
  • The navigation is effective through its simple design.
  • The faded-out “coming soon” project is great as it gives a glimpse of what’s upcoming and that the website is not “dead.”
  • One critique I have is the need for more distinction for the “main” and “work” headers, which blend in with the regular text links. Bolding, highlighting, or underlining would be a good way to fix this.
  • The moon icon is effective as it visually signifies dark mode, but is more stylistic than some websites that opt for a simple switch icon instead.

Hero Page

  • The hero page is simple with the main emphasis being on the text. Despite being short, I already get a sense of who he is and what he cares about.
  • It is good UX practice for homepages with scrollable content to indicate that there is something below it. In this instance, borders and logos signify there is more.

Rest of Homepage

  • When you scroll down, you are greeted by information regarding the use of the logos. The call to action button (also the “read more” button) is obvious without being obnoxious.
  • The continued use of the faded borders is a nice visual touch as it breaks up the page, but is not bold enough to be distracting.
  • The bolder subheading establishes a good informational and visual hierarchy as it differentiates it from the body text.
  • The simple icon keeps the space from being empty and maintains the minimalistic visual design of the website.
  • The white space is used effectively to keep things spatially comfortable.
  • Toward the bottom, there are contextual icons, which, upon viewing, give an idea of what his listed hobbies are before reading the text.

Footer

  • The bottom shows a spacious footer with a personal touch by including his photo.
  • He does have a call to action for those interested in collaboration by providing his Linkedin.

Overall

  • One critique I do have is the provided hyperlinks. As you see on this page, they are underlined. I discovered that the link becomes the same color as the rest of the body’s text once clicked. As you see here, the links that have not been clicked on are blue, which provides a great contrast and is a popular choice for links. I dislike the blue becoming black as it reduces emphasis. I also discovered once you click the link, it stays like that unless you go to a private window or on a different device, which is annoying from a UX perspective.
  • The typography is likely Roos Display font, which is a solid choice as it is highly legible but aesthetically bold.

Conclusion

  • The portfolio website gives a sleek and minimalist vibe without feeling hollow or empty. The homepage’s simplicity provides a pleasant experience where content is to the point, and icons are complementary (and not hogging your attention).
  • He develops his pathos by drawing on his passions and hobbies. The ongoing visual greenhouse theme is demonstrated through the iconography of plants and trees. The “vibe” he is giving off through his selective content and visuals is compassion through design.
  • As someone who is drawn to UX, I found the design compelling, and I would seriously consider this one of my favorite portfolios. If someone were to ask me where to get inspiring portfolio designs, Daniel’s site would be one of my first choices to recommend.