Microsoft Surface
2006-2008
Joined Microsoft as a UX manager on the Microsoft Surface team. I immediately faced two major challenges. The first was scaling the UX team from both a personnel and maturity standpoint. The second was in guiding the design of a new interaction paradigm, one without established conventions, standards, or precedence.
GOALS:
- Build and manage a new UX team
- Establish tools and processes
- Manage and guide a team to create a new interaction paradigm for 360 degree, multi-user, multi-touch UI that is walk-up-and-use simple and inviting
- Ship MS Surface version 1
ACTIONS:
- Scaled small 5-person incubation UX team to much larger 20+ production team of interaction, visual, and industrial designers plus user research and user assistance / documentation
- In a conscious effort to avoid the PC design stigma, I hired personnel with diverse backgrounds from the film and game industry.
- Established new Creative Design and Advanced Design teams
- UX champion (team, budgets, resources, communication, culture)
- Working with an innovative technology lacking stability and tools, guided team through design of UI controls, interactions, and several prototype and reference applications (see videos below)
- Helped define brand through design
- Managed and co-authored Design Guidelines
- Supported 3rd party partners in educating, reviewing, and creating MS Surface experiences
RESULTS:
- Shipped commercial/retail Microsoft Surface version 1 – June, 2008
- Marketplace buzz surpassed all of Microsoft’s top brands in both amount and duration
- Designs and technology used to inform and drive other Microsoft concepts and products