Name: danielautry.com
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.