Rachel McCaslin's Portfolio Project

During the CareerFoundry UX Design Program, you’ll build out a job-ready portfolio. Here is a breakdown of graduate Rachel’s portfolio project, Membrain. If you’d like to check out her full portfolio, head to her website.

What inspired you to make a career change into this field?

I was already working as a freelance graphic designer but felt like my standard skillset was becoming stale. I wanted to become more specialized and I felt like I didn’t stand out amongst my competition. I’d always been interested in UX/UI in general, and putting my spare quarantine time towards something productive seemed like a good idea!

What did you enjoy most about the CareerFoundry UX Design Program?

I enjoyed the mentorship and career services support the most. It really allowed me to dive deep into the aspects of the course that interested me, or that I didn’t understand. I tend to suffer from impostor syndrome from time to time; so having someone in my corner to talk me off a ledge and drop the professional veil was super helpful in gaining confidence. I really took advantage of those relationships and I saw fantastic results!

What did you enjoy about creating your CareerFoundry portfolio project?

I enjoyed having my coursework reviewed by real people. I always have the tendency to dive into things that are too heavy or beyond my present capabilities AND try to self-teach. That always ends in frustration and ultimately quitting. Getting real feedback from real people was incredibly helpful to see the progress I was making; which helped me to keep going.

With regards to your new career and skills, what are your hopes for the future?

With CareerFoundry, I was able to give myself the competitive edge I needed. I went from struggling, self-employed freelancer to design representative at a recruiting agency. I was hired for a mid-level design position for a super popular sports entertainment company, where I’ve worked for the past year. I’m actively being recruited for senior product roles at other companies now, which is my next milestone. From there, I hope to become an art/design director or head of product in the future.

Check out more content from Rachel’s Membrain project:

• The Full Analysis (competitive analysis)
• The Full Interviews (user research interviews)
• User Personas
• The Full Breakdown (information architecture)
• View Prototype
• The Full Sessions (usability testing)