How to judge a developer's portfolio

A portfolio is a sales page. It shows the best work, in its best light. You can still learn a lot from it if you test the work instead of looking at pictures. This is the test I would use, and you can use it on mine.

Before you start: live, or only pictures?

Ask for web addresses, not images. Mock-ups can be made to look like anything. If every item is a screenshot, ask why none is live. Sometimes there is a good reason, such as confidentiality, but then ask to see a live site by a client who agrees to it.

Eight checks on every live site

1. Open it on your own phone, on mobile data. Does it load promptly? Can you read the text without zooming? Can you find the main action?
2. Tap everything important. The phone number, the WhatsApp button, the menu, a form. Do they work?
3. Check the pages beyond the home page. Many sites have a polished home page and weak inner pages. Open three at random.
4. Run it through PageSpeed Insights. It is a free Google tool. Look at the real-user results when they exist; web.dev lists the targets for loading, responsiveness and layout stability. A site that builds well on paper can still be slow. Treat the scores as a clue, not a verdict.
5. Press Tab on your keyboard. Can you see where you are on the page, and can you reach the menu and buttons? This is a quick, rough test of whether accessibility was considered. It is not an audit. See accessible, responsive websites.
6. Select some text. Is it real text, or part of an image? Text in images cannot be read by search engines or screen readers.
7. Look at the details. Typos, broken links, missing images and an outdated copyright year suggest nobody is looking after it.
8. Check it is still the same site. Compare it with the portfolio’s screenshot. If it looks very different or is gone, ask what happened.

Questions to ask about each site

• What did you do on this project: design, code, content, all of it?
• Who maintains it now?
• How long did it take, and what held it up?
• Can I speak to the client?
• What would you do differently?

A person who built the site can answer these in detail. Vague answers suggest the portfolio piece belongs to someone else, or that the person had a small part in it.

What a good portfolio looks like

• Live links, with a short description of the business and the developer’s role.
• A range of work that matches your kind of project, not only the most visual projects.
• Work that still works.
• Honesty about what was not done.

Warning signs

• Only screenshots and no live links.
• Sites that are slow or broken on a phone.
• No explanation of the developer’s role.
• A promise to show references “later”.
• Work that is mostly templates with the colours changed, presented as custom design.
• Pressure to decide before you have tested anything.

Using this on me

The Work page shows two live manufacturer websites I designed, built and still help manage. Open them on your phone, run the checks above and ask me anything. If the sites do not stand up to the test, you should not hire me. If you would like to see how I describe the work on each one before you decide, the product catalogue page says what each site contains. To ask a question, message or call Harman.

Sources

• web.dev, Web Vitals
• W3C WAI, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines overview

Read next

• How to choose a website developerPrices are easy to compare and hard to judge. This is a checklist of the things that actually separate a good engagement from a bad one, with the warning signs worth walking away from.
• Freelancer, studio or agency for a business websiteEach kind of provider suits a different project. Here is a framework built on scope, continuity and who actually does the work, plus an honest note on the limits of a one-person studio.
• Accessible, responsive websites: what to ask forTwo promises sit behind almost every website quote: it works on a phone, and it works for people with different abilities. Here is how to check both without being an expert.
• Mobile speed and Core Web Vitals, explainedSpeed is not one number. Here are the three measures Google publishes, what usually makes a business site slow on a phone, and what a good score does and does not buy you.

Where this leads

• Work: two live manufacturer websitesSamrat Poly Resins and Samrat FRP Traders: what each site had to do and how it was built.
• Packages and pricesThree one-time packages from ₹19,999 to ₹34,999 plus applicable taxes: what each includes, and which costs stay separate.