We emphasize the importance of working out loud throughout our curriculum. Each of our participants make portfolio sections on their websites where they collect projects they’ve built.
How you package and present your projects matter as much as the projects themselves!
Here are some general guidelines for what makes a good project write up. Not every project needs all of these categories, but should at least cover most of them.
Project Scope
- Explain the scope of the project. What are you trying to accomplish? What constraints are you working under?
Challenges
- Explain how this project challenges you. Frame it in a way that sets you up for personal growth.
Research and Inspiration
- Post notes on your initial research and links/screenshots of inspiration.
Actions Taken
- Explain your process. How did you go about tackling this project? Did you work daily? Only on weekends? What main sections did you break the project in to? How long did you give yourself for each section?
Your Solution
- Show the final result.
- Include screenshots of the stages and the final product of digital work.
- Include photos of the stages and final product of in-person work.
- What didn’t make the cut and why?
- Shoot a video walk-through explanation showing what you did, explaining details and features, and commenting on design decisions. Go a level deeper than you do in writing. If it is a digital product, use Loom to do a screen share. If it is a physical product, pull put your cell phone and have a friend film it for you.
Tools and Resources Used
- Link to tools and resources you used and explain why you chose them over others.
What You Learned
- Detail out what you learned while working on the project. How will you approach future projects differently?
Next Steps
- Was this a one-time project? Something you are done with for now but want to revisit and improve? Part of a larger skill you are trying to develop? Write out your future plans for this project and for your personal development in ways that relate to this project.
A Practical Example
- Brian Nuckols, a Praxis team member, used these steps to create a project demonstrating how he could create value for Praxis instead of sending a traditional resume. You can check out the full project breakdown by clicking here.