Answers
Straight answers about case studies.
The questions that come up every time a designer sits down to write one, answered directly, with no preamble.
Can you write a UX case study under NDA?
Yes. An NDA almost always protects specifics (the client's name, unreleased screens, internal figures), not the fact that you solved a problem. You can describe the problem, your decisions and the outcome in general terms, anonymise the client by sector, and omit visuals entirely.
What if your UX project has no metrics?
Write it qualitatively. Most UX work never gets measured, and reviewers know that. Describe what was broken, what you decided and what changed in observable terms (a support queue that shrank, a step users stopped stalling on), and never invent a percentage.
How long should a UX case study be?
Aim for 600–900 words per case study, readable in three to four minutes. Recruiters and hiring managers skim portfolios in under two minutes, so the first screen has to carry the problem, your role and the outcome on its own.
What do recruiters look for in a UX case study?
Problem framing, your specific role, the decisions you made and their reasoning, and an outcome. Reviewers spend under two minutes on a first pass, and screens without context are the most common reason a portfolio is closed early.
How should a UX case study be structured?
Context, problem, approach, key decisions, outcome, reflection. Lead with the outcome rather than saving it for the end: a portfolio is not a mystery novel, and the reader decides whether to continue in the first few sentences.
How do you write a case study for work you did in a team?
State the team's scope, then your contribution, in that order and in plain terms. Reviewers expect senior work to be collaborative: vagueness reads as overclaiming, and "we" throughout leaves them unable to assess you at all.