A photography portfolio redesigned around a faster hiring review journey.
UX DesignWeb DevelopmentPhotography
1. Overview
While applying for university photography roles, I built a dedicated portfolio in Lovable AI and launched the first version in two weeks during October 2025.
Analytics showed that the site made reviewers work too hard to find relevant photographs. I redesigned the experience around one focused portfolio page, faster image delivery, and stronger trust signals. The result was a shorter review journey and six photography offers.
2. Technology Stack
AI assisted foundation: I prompted Lovable with the portfolio's core functions, colour direction, services, genres, and visual character, then refined the generated React and TypeScript foundation in Cursor.
Interface and behaviour: Tailwind CSS, responsive layouts, glass effects, animation, EmailJS, paginated loading, and separate development and production environments.
Cloudinary integration: Cloudinary manages the photography library independently from the source code. I can add, update, or delete photographs directly in Cloudinary, and the website retrieves the latest collection automatically. Folder based Search API queries, responsive transformations, compression, and format and quality optimisation support efficient delivery.
Delivery: Lovable and GitHub Pages with automated CI/CD.
3. The UX Problem
Analytics revealed friction in the original hiring review journey.
Average viewing time
1m 10s
Reviewers were spending too long trying to locate relevant work.
Application outcome
0 offers
The longer visit did not represent stronger interest in the photography.
At first glance, a longer session could look like positive engagement. However, Lovable analytics showed a 1 minute 10 second average viewing time while the first version generated no offers. Reviewers were taking longer because they had to browse through the website to find relevant photographs, not because they liked the work and wanted to keep exploring.
Working persona
This role based persona combines the application context with the behaviour indicated by the analytics. It represents a likely reviewer, not a person interviewed for this project.
HM
University event hiring manager
Responsible for finding a photographer who can cover a university event professionally, represent the institution well, and deliver usable photographs promptly.
Goal
Find a suitable event photographer quickly and with confidence.
Competitive context
MMU has BA and MA Photography students, alongside students from other courses who also practise photography.
Time pressure
The application pool may reach hundreds, leaving only a few seconds for an initial review of each applicant.
Decision risk
If relevant work and proof are not immediately visible, a capable photographer may be dismissed too early.
Design implication: the first impression must communicate relevance, quality, and reliability within seconds.
The original genres pageFragmented journey
Original hiring journey
Photography genres were split across separate pages. The journey below shows how this structure worked against a reviewer under time pressure.
01
Triage applications
Opens applications and portfolio links in sequence.
Needs: Recognise basic suitability immediately.
Friction: A large application pool leaves only a few seconds for the first review.
02
Form an impression
Judges the first screen, visual quality, and loading response.
Needs: See relevant university event photography at once.
Friction: A general studio homepage does not immediately answer whether the photographer fits this event.
03
Find relevant work
Opens Genres, selects a category, scans it, then returns.
Needs: Compare event, people, and social photography quickly.
Friction: Separate genre pages create repeated navigation and page loads.
04
Check reliability
Looks for consistent results, experience, turnaround, and public feedback.
Needs: Trust that the photographer can deliver professionally.
Friction: Evidence is separated from the photographs and takes more time to locate.
05
Shortlist or leave
Decides whether to keep the applicant and move to the next application.
Needs: Reach a confident decision with minimal effort.
Friction: Every extra step increases the chance of leaving before seeing the strongest work.
4. The Solution
I added a focused portfolio subpage inside the existing 2AM Studio website. I use its direct link in photography applications so reviewers can begin with the most relevant work.
One continuous gallery brings the strongest selected photographs together. I can adapt the selection to the skills, style, and genres requested in each job description.
One link. Relevant work. No genre detours.
02
Designed to load quickly
Cloudinary compresses and resizes images, selects efficient formats, and delivers the right asset for each screen through its CDN.
Responsive images. Loading when needed. Pagination. Caching.
03
Supported by evidence
I added testimonials and public social posts with client feedback. Google Drive and social profile links provide further evidence of my active engagement with photography.
Testimonials. Public feedback. Photography work and social activity.
Before
Homepage, genre choice, separate gallery, return, repeat.
→
After
One relevant selection, fast delivery, evidence, contact.
5. Measured Outcome
After the redesign, average viewing time fell from approximately 1 minute 10 seconds to 50 seconds. In this context, the reduction is the intended outcome: reviewers can reach and assess relevant work with less navigation and less waiting.
Most importantly, the redesigned portfolio has supported six photography offers so far. This is an observed comparison between the two versions rather than proof that the website alone caused every offer, but it shows that the new experience is better aligned with the way hiring reviewers evaluate portfolios.
1m 10s
Before
Average viewing time with photographs split across genre pages.
50s
After
Average viewing time with one focused portfolio page relevant to the job.
29% less
Review time
Less time needed to find and evaluate the relevant photographs.
6
Offers so far
Photography offers received after launching the redesigned journey.
6. Process
01
Measure the first version in Lovable and identify the fragmented review journey
02
Map hiring reviewers' need to assess relevant photography quickly
03
Create and curate one /portfolio page around each job description
04
Optimise responsive image delivery, lazy loading, compression, and caching
05
Add testimonials and supporting evidence to strengthen trust
