guide · updated 2026-09-28

How to evaluate a designer's or agency's portfolio

Dribbble is a mood board, not evidence. A portfolio tells you what someone can make look good; a case study tells you whether they can think. Judge the second.

Five tests

Test	What to look for
Problem framing	Does each case start with a user or business problem and a metric, or with 'we were asked to redesign'?
System consistency	Do screens from one project look like one product? Spacing, type scale, component reuse.
The boring screens	Settings, empty states, errors. Anyone can do a hero.
Trade-offs	Can they explain what they cut and why? Ask in a Figma walkthrough.
Shipped vs concept	Is it live? Can you use it? Concept work is fine at the start of a career; a studio should have live products.

The Figma walkthrough

Ask for 20 minutes in a real file. Watch for: layers named, components used, states designed, and whether they talk about the user or the pixels. Designer Fund's phrase is 'design thinkers versus Figma jockeys'; the file shows which.

Scorecard

Criterion	Score
Problem framing	0–3
System consistency	0–3
Boring screens	0–3
Trade-offs explained	0–3
Live products	0–3
Total	12+ hire; 8–11 test; under 8 pass

The move that beats interviews

A small paid test — one screen, one page, a week — tells you more than any portfolio. Several studios offer free trials (Eleken 3 days, UX Studio 5 days, Glow 3 days); a paid one is fairer and gets their real attention.

Red flags

All shots, no case studies
Case studies with no numbers and no 'what we'd change'
Every project in the same visual style regardless of client
Work you can't find live

Questions

Is Dribbble a good place to find designers?

For visual craft, yes; for product thinking, no. Founders on Hacker News put it plainly: nice screenshots, rarely good UX.

What if the portfolio is under NDA?

Ask for a walkthrough on a call instead of files, and for references who can describe the work.

Should a startup hire a senior or a mid-level designer first?

Unusual Ventures suggests five-plus years and three shipped products for a founding designer; a very senior hire can debate strategy for too long.

How much weight should I give awards?

Little. Awards reward surfaces; your metric rewards outcomes.

Sources

Prices checked 2026-09-28. Vendor prices change; treat ranges as of that date.

Building something people should remember?

non boring.gg is a product and brand design studio in Bangalore, India, working with startups and tech companies across the US, Europe and Australia. Average engagement around $20,000. atul@nonboring.gg