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The success of your next project depends on these 5 questions.
Question 01: Why did the user abandon the cart?
Not ‘what they liked about the design.’ Or ‘what they didn't.’
Ask, ‘What did they do just before leaving?’
That's the moment trust broke.
The real design work starts there.
Question 02: Who are your ideal users?
You design for the users, not the other way around.
Be specific.
- Who IS your ideal user?
- Who is NOT your user?
Eliminating users is as important as defining them.
Question 03: What are the opportunities and challenges?
Not just the features or aesthetics.
Understand what makes this design useful.
Include everything.
- Platform
- Device details
-Technical challenges
Question 04: What does success and failure look like?
Know the metrics before you touch the screen.
Is it engagement rate?
Purchase conversion?
NPS scores?
Then go further, list the worst-case scenarios.
Make the list and design its opposite.
Question 05: If you changed nothing, what would happen?
This is the most underrated question in design.
This answer reveals the real brief.
These aren't unique questions.
They're simple, yet nobody understands the importance.
Which question do you skip most often?
The network for creativity
Join 1.25M professional creatives like you
Connect with clients, get discovered, and run your business 100% commission-free
Creatives on Contra have earned over $150M and we are just getting started
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I need honest feedback: what would make you stay longer on a case study? 🤔
I recently saw a recommendation in Contra’s dashboard about going deeper on projects to improve portfolio quality, and it made me question how I am presenting my own work.
I tend to write a lot. I like explaining the thinking, the systems, the decisions. But I honestly do not know if people are actually reading it, or just scrolling through the visuals.
I have been revisiting projects like BASYX and asking myself. Is this a portfolio for designers, or for the person hiring me?
Would really appreciate honest feedback. Is this too much copy?
Do you read case studies fully, or just scan?
What actually makes you stop and pay attention?
Honestly the visuals do the scanning, the copy does the convincing — you need both, just don't front-load the text
When does a project stop serving your portfolio? 👀
I’m currently working on a new website.
My work, knowledge, and vision have evolved a lot since I built the current one. Honestly, I think I disliked it about a month after launching… but it still did its job. It helped me share my work and build a business.
Now I’m moving into a more intentional direction, and I’m rethinking what actually deserves a place in my portfolio.
I know this isn’t always a clear or easy decision. So I’m sharing a few thoughts I’ve been using to evaluate my own work.
Would really love your perspective on this.
How do you decide what stays and what goes?
I feel this a lot.
For me, a project stops serving the portfolio when it no longer reflects how I think — not just how it looks.
Sometimes it can still be “good work,” but if it doesn’t represent your current depth or standards, it starts creating the wrong expectations.
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