Founder Product Designer | Freelancer
2024
Platform:Web
MiCapsa
Most people want to showcase their skills but don’t know how to start. Building a portfolio feels intimidating, especially for students and early career professionals who don’t yet have “real industry experience.”
MiCapsa was created to change that.
We set out to build a platform that makes portfolio creation simple, guided, and credible helping anyone, from beginners to career switchers, present their abilities through authentic, skill-based assignments.
Our main users were students, junior professionals, and early-career job seekers. Through research, we noticed they all faced similar challenges:
Overwhelming competition
Everyone looks the same on paper.
Low confidence
Users aren’t sure if their portfolios are “good enough
Lack of real projects
Beginners don’t know what to showcase.
Research & Insights
Interviews with professionals and recruiters in Product, Marketing, Design, and Development
Competitive analysis of portfolio platforms and hiring tools
Surveys with 100+ candidates across digital roles
Key Findings
Personal Information Panel: Shows your profile picture, name, role, professional description, activity stats, skills and ability tags, and contact options - all easily editable and shareable. (1)
Your Work: Displays your completed tasks with name, description, level, views count, and share options. (2)
Navigation Buttons: Lets you create a new task or pick one from the existing task index. (3)
Custom Task Creation: If you choose to create a task yourself, you can control different parameters like the field or profession (1), general details and level - Junior, Mid, or Senior (2), estimated time to complete and the solution for the problem (3).
Answer mode: If you choose a task from the index, you’ll see the following::
A progress bar indicating you’re currently in editing mode. (1)
The task level and its average expected duration. (2)
A description of the task. (3)
Your solution. (4)
A built-in checklist to help you verify your work before submission.(5)
UI System & Components
I refined a visual system that feels professional and welcoming — something that encourages beginners while still appealing to seasoned recruiters. The interface uses structured spacing, warm neutrals, accessible typography, and reusable components for scalability.
Final Takeaways - What I Learned
Research should always shape the product’s spine
From assignment structure to the importance of feedback loops, every major feature ties directly back to user insights.
Reducing friction builds confidence
By guiding users through assignments, checklists, and structured submission flows, we made the intimidating task of “building a portfolio” feel achievable, even enjoyable.
Designing for two audiences is a balancing act
Students want guidance. Recruiters want clarity. Finding the right middle ground shaped many of the UX decisions.
