One-Line Summary: Use AI to turn rough notes and bullet points into polished project case studies that highlight your process, results, and impact.
Prerequisites: Completed Step 3, rough notes or memories from 3-5 past projects
Why Case Studies Win Clients and Jobs
A list of skills tells people what you can do. A case study proves it. Hiring managers and potential clients want to see three things:
- The problem — what challenge did you face?
- Your process — what did you actually do?
- The result — what changed because of your work?
You do not need permission from past clients to write case studies. Focus on your contribution, keep details general if needed, and never share confidential data.
Step 4a: Gather Your Raw Material
For each project you want to feature, jot down rough answers to these questions. Bullet points are fine — AI will turn them into polished prose.
- What was the project or company?
- What problem were you solving?
- What was your specific role?
- What steps did you take?
- What tools or methods did you use?
- What was the outcome? (Numbers are gold. Percentages, timelines, dollar amounts.)
- What did you learn?
Example raw notes:
Rewrote onboarding flow for a project management SaaS. Their trial-to-paid conversion was low. I audited the existing copy, interviewed 5 users, rewrote all 12 onboarding screens. Used plain language and progress indicators. Trial-to-paid went from 8% to 14% over 3 months. Learned that users were dropping off at the team invite step because the copy was confusing.
These messy notes are all you need. AI handles the rest.
Step 4b: Generate the Case Study
Use this prompt template for each project:
Turn these rough project notes into a polished portfolio case study.
Raw notes:
[Paste your bullet points or rough notes here]
Write it in this structure:
1. PROJECT TITLE — a descriptive name (not the client's internal project name)
2. OVERVIEW — 1-2 sentences summarizing what the project was
3. THE CHALLENGE — what problem needed solving and why it mattered
4. MY ROLE — what I specifically did (use "I" not "we" unless it was truly collaborative)
5. THE PROCESS — 3-5 bullet points describing key steps I took
6. THE RESULTS — concrete outcomes with numbers where possible
7. KEY TAKEAWAY — one sentence about what I learned or what made this project interesting
Guidelines:
- Keep the total length to 200-300 words
- Use specific details, not vague claims
- If I do not have exact numbers, use honest approximations ("roughly 75%" or "significant increase")
- Tone: [your style words from Step 2]Example output:
Onboarding Copy Overhaul — SaaS Project Management Tool
Overview: Rewrote the entire onboarding flow for a B2B project management app to improve trial-to-paid conversion.
The Challenge: Only 8% of free trial users were converting to paid plans. Exit surveys pointed to confusion during onboarding, but nobody had examined the actual copy users were reading.
My Role: Sole UX writer. I owned the audit, research, and rewrite of all onboarding copy.
The Process:
- Audited all 12 existing onboarding screens for clarity and consistency
- Interviewed 5 trial users to identify exact friction points
- Discovered the team invite step was causing 40% of drop-offs due to unclear instructions
- Rewrote every screen using plain language and added progress indicators
- Collaborated with the product team to A/B test old vs. new copy
The Results: Trial-to-paid conversion increased from 8% to 14% over three months — a 75% improvement. Support tickets related to onboarding dropped by 30%.
Key Takeaway: The biggest conversion blocker was a single confusing screen. Sometimes the highest-impact work is fixing one thing well.
Step 4c: Write Short Descriptions for the Portfolio Grid
Most portfolios show projects as cards in a grid before the full case study. Generate these too:
Based on the case study above, write a short project card for my portfolio grid:
1. Project title (5 words or fewer)
2. One-line description (under 15 words)
3. A tag or category label (e.g., "UX Writing," "Brand Identity," "Web Design")
4. The key metric or result (one number or stat)
Keep it scannable — this is what visitors see before they click to read more.Step 4d: Handle Projects Without Clear Metrics
Not every project has a neat percentage increase. Use this prompt for softer outcomes:
I have a project that does not have hard metrics. Help me write a case
study that still demonstrates impact.
Raw notes:
[Paste your notes]
For the results section, focus on:
- Qualitative feedback (what did the client or team say?)
- Process improvements (what changed about how they work?)
- Scope of work (how many pages, screens, deliverables?)
- Timeline (did you deliver on time or ahead of schedule?)
- What happened next (did they hire you again? Expand the project?)
Do not fabricate numbers. Use honest qualitative descriptions instead.Step 4e: Choose Your Best 3-5 Projects
You do not need to showcase everything. Pick projects using these criteria:
| Criteria | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Relevance | Does it match the work you want to do next? |
| Results | Can you show concrete impact? |
| Variety | Does your selection show range? |
| Recency | Is it from the last 2-3 years? |
| Story | Is there an interesting challenge or insight? |
If you are changing careers, include 1-2 projects from your old field that demonstrate transferable skills, and 1-2 projects (even personal ones) in your new direction.
Your Project Showcase Checklist
Before moving on, confirm you have:
- 3-5 full case studies (200-300 words each)
- A short card description for each project (title, one-liner, tag, metric)
- At least 1-2 screenshots, mockups, or images per project (we will source these in Step 5)
- All copy reviewed and edited to sound like your voice