As a designer at Microsoft’s Startup Business Group (SBG) I had the opportunity to nurture startup projects within a behemoth of a company. The SBG’s role was unique in Microsoft. We (a multi-disciplinary team) partnered with Microsoft Research to take their raw research and create brand new user-centered products and experiences.
Microsoft Surface
Microsoft Surface was an up and coming technology while I was at Microsoft. I observed user research with the beta surfaces and conceptualized ways to capitalize on a multi-touch touchscreen. I developed mockups for use in virtual store environments and learning environments.
Role: Concept design
Team: worked with researchers, developers and an industrial designer, 2010
Microsoft Hohm
In 2008, utility companies had projected that they would not meet the energy demands of their customers in just a few years time. Enter Microsoft’s Hohm, a website that partnered with utility companies throughout the nation to give customers tailored feedback on their energy usage. Hohm provided relevant rebates and ways to save energy by leveraging what we knew about the home’s user-entered profile along with data from neighboring homes. The website segued into an early-stage smart thermostat which pre-dated the Nest thermostat.
Role: Web designer
Team: I designed the website and thermostat iconography while an industrial designer fabricated the thermostat, 2008
Bing Travel: Dream Trip Maker
Sometimes my job at Microsoft was to prove a concept and give lots and lots of feature ideas in support of the creation of a new team at Microsoft. When Bing was launched in 2009 I quickly set to work on conceptualizing how Bing could leverage it’s powerful search engine to serve up travel suggestions and itineraries.
I came up with the “Dream Trip Maker”. The concept was a drag-and-drop itinerary builder. It incorporated all aspects of a travel booking site—flights, car rental, hotels and things to do. Packages could be user-built or companies could sponsor themed packages. A social media component informed the user on what their friends enjoyed on similar trips.
Role: Concept designer, visual designer
Team: I was the sole designer, 2009
Microsoft Tag: QR code technology
QR codes are now familiar technology, but at the time they were thought to be ground breaking connections between real and virtual worlds. Microsoft’s barcode technology, developed at Microsoft Research, used colored triangles to increase the data density of a 2D barcode. The Microsoft Tag app was only the second Microsoft app to be released on the new Apple app store.
Role: App designer, brand and identity designer
Team: Worked with marketing and Research, 2009