How to Build a Stellar Instructional Design Portfolio

Define your goals

What do you want your portfolio to achieve? Are you targeting a specific type of job, seeking freelance clients, or networking in the ID community? If you're aiming for a specific industry, consider the look and feel that would appeal to people in that sector:

• Would they want "fun and quirky" or "sleek and modern"?
• What type of projects and content would be most relevant?
• What best showcases the skills for that industry?

It's fine to make a general portfolio, especially when you're starting out and don't have much content. But if you've already identified the type of work you want, use that to guide your decisions throughout the rest of this process.

Choose your focus

Decide whether you want a broad portfolio showcasing different skills or a niche one focused on a specific area like eLearning, VR/AR, or performance improvement. Again, it's fine if you don't have much to choose from yet, but think about how you might eventually categorize your work.

Conduct a content audit

Gather any existing work (even incomplete) in one place. Analyze what aligns with the goals you just set and identify the gaps. Consider creating a folder for all your portfolio assets on Google Drive: it makes linking to projects easy and keeps things organized as your portfolio grows.

Based on your audit, decide whether you need to create entirely new projects or revamp existing materials. Prioritize your gaps and order the topics so you know which projects would be most impactful, then start with those.

Website builders

Even if you're comfortable with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, visual website builders are a great way to create a professional-looking portfolio. Their drag-and-drop (WYSIWYG) interfaces make building quick and easy without writing any code.

Pick a platform

There are many platforms to choose from. These three are worth a look, each with a different sweet spot:

Google Sites is Google's free website builder. You can make unlimited sites under your existing account, and it's seamlessly integrated with Docs, Forms, Slides, Sheets, and Drive.

Carrd.co is a free builder focused on single-page sites, kind of like a digital business card, though you can use "sections" to create the appearance of pages. The free plan lets you create up to 3 sites with all of Carrd's core features.

Framer is a more advanced builder with a steeper learning curve. If you want more functionality and advanced features to fully express your vision, Framer might be the better choice.

It comes down to a few decision points:

• Ease of use. If you've never built a site, this may matter most. Both Carrd and Google Sites are extremely easy; Google Sites is the easiest to learn, while Carrd may be the easiest to make look professional.
• Customization. If you want your portfolio to stand out exactly how you envision it (and you're not afraid of a learning curve), Framer gives you the most control. Carrd and Google Sites can be customized quite a bit but you'll hit limits sooner.
• Price. You can't go wrong on a budget: all three work for free. Google Sites is free and supports a custom domain. Framer and Carrd both need paid plans for a custom domain, but Carrd is very affordable at ~$20/year for 3 sites, while Framer runs roughly $60–120/year.

Website builder tutorials

There are plenty of excellent YouTube tutorials to help you get started. Here are a few recent ones:

What kind of projects should I make?

If you're stuck for inspiration, you can remake projects that already exist, but be strategic about how you spend your valuable time. Some ideas:

Relevant topics. Think back to your end goal. If you want to work in a certain industry, consider the training those organizations need:

• Finance: interactive scenarios on financial decision-making, explainer videos on complex products or regulations, or microlearning on budgeting and investing basics.
• Healthcare: patient education materials, simulations for training staff on new equipment or techniques, or compliance training (HIPAA, safety protocols).
• Education: lesson plans using emerging technologies, curriculum samples for specific subjects or grade levels, or resources supporting diverse learners and social-emotional learning.

Volunteer opportunities. Find organizations whose mission resonates with you, offer targeted help (a short eLearning module, a job aid, a workshop), and keep it small and focused. You gain experience, build your portfolio, and connect with potential collaborators. For example, partner with a local food bank to design volunteer training materials.

Passion projects. Is there a skill, hobby, or cause you'd love to teach? Try new approaches, tools, or styles without client constraints, and show that you're a lifelong learner. For example, build an interactive course on gardening basics or a series of explainer videos on a niche history topic.

Case studies. Not every project needs to be an eLearning course. Write up a case study on a training solution you delivered, especially useful if you're career-changing or can't share the actual artifact. Outline the whole process: analysis, design decisions, sample materials, and how you'd evaluate effectiveness. If all else fails, design something for a fictional company. Even if the scenario isn't real, the skills and deliverable still show what you can do.

How to host eLearning projects

To embed eLearning projects in your portfolio, you need a hosting solution that gives you links you can share or embed. A few options:

GitHub Pages

GitHub Pages hosts public projects for free and gives you a shareable link to embed or link to. With a free account, your published files are searchable on GitHub; if you need privacy, use a paid account or another platform.

Google Cloud Storage

A bit more technical, since you're setting up a cloud server, but with a little guidance you can create private links to your projects. There's a cost to host, but your files stay private and accessible only to people with the direct link.

Amazon Web Services

You can also host on AWS. Like Google, there's a small cost to maintain your account, with the same benefit: your projects stay private and aren't searchable online.

Don't just show, tell

Alongside each project, add a brief description of what it is and how it came about. One easy-to-remember method is STAR:

Proofread

Don't be too hasty to share your hard work. Proof your portfolio thoroughly first: silly typos and missing words make you seem careless, and attention to detail is crucial in this field. An extension like Grammarly helps catch spelling and grammar mistakes, but read through everything yourself at least once before you submit.

Add an About Me section

Add a short section introducing yourself, your core skills, educational background, and career aspirations. Keep it short and sweet while giving a curious hiring manager a little more. This is different from your resume or cover letter: it can be more personal and convey your personality and vibe, while still staying professional. Adding a photo of yourself is a nice touch that makes the portfolio feel more personal, though it isn't required.

Get peer reviews. Tap your network and ask fellow instructional designers or mentors for constructive feedback before you send it to recruiters or hiring managers. Use the ID Atlas Discord to get feedback from professionals and fine-tune anything that doesn't look or work right.

Publish and update. You've done the work, so hit publish and send it off. Share your portfolio with your network and add it to your resume. This is a living, digital representation of your skills, so keep it up to date and add to it regularly.

• Plan how you'll use your portfolio: identify your goals and target audience, and decide between a broad showcase or a focused niche.
• Audit the content you already have, get it in one place, and identify the gaps and categories you want to include.
• Select a platform that fits your needs, and consider a custom domain for a professional touch.
• Create projects that fill your gaps: industry-relevant work, volunteer opportunities, passion projects, and case studies.
• Explain your projects with context and results (the STAR method helps), and proofread carefully.
• Publish and get feedback, then keep updating over time. Quality over quantity.

Resources

A quick list of the tools cited throughout this guide: