NDAs stop a lot of UX professionals from including their best work in their portfolio, but they might not be the obstacle you think they are.
Sarah has spent nearly a decade coaching UX professionals, and one of the questions she gets most often is how to handle NDA-protected work in a portfolio. In this episode, she walks through what NDAs typically do and don't restrict, how to write about protected work without violating your agreement, and why UX recruiters and hiring managers aren't looking for pixel-perfect deliverables (and what they are looking for instead.)
Sarah also shares a concrete example of how to frame a confidential project in a way that's compelling, specific, and respectful of any agreements you've signed. If you've been leaving projects out of your portfolio because you weren't sure what you could share, this episode is worth a listen.
Topics Discussed
✅ What NDAs actually restrict vs. what most people assume they restrict (they're not the same thing)
✅ A concrete example of how to write about a confidential project without naming the company, showing screens, or violating any agreements
✅ Why UX recruiters and hiring managers care far more about how you think than what the final product looked like
✅ Practical ways to include visuals from protected projects without revealing anything proprietary
✅ How NDA concerns often uncover the real problem: not knowing how to structure a UX case study
✅ How to go back to a former employer and ask the right questions to clarify what your NDA actually allows
✅ Why your UX portfolio doesn't have to be a website and how a presentation format can sidestep a lot of NDA concerns entirely
Links From This Episode:
🔗 UX Hiring Insights: Alexander Zeh of ManyChat on Diverse UX Teams and Standout Portfolios
🔗 UX Hiring Insights: Ben Peck on UX Generalists, Soft Skills, & Standout Portfolios
💸 See how I help UX & Product people get 5-figure salary increases in my UX job search coaching program