MICROSOFT SURFACE

ROLE: UX DESIGN LEAD

COMPANY: MICROSOFT CORPORATION

Microsoft Surface was a touch-based computing platform designed for a tabletop form factor. This allowed multiple users, objects, and devices to interact with and share digital content simultaneously

The Surface platform consisted of tightly integrated software and hardware that combined vision-based multitouch technology, 360-degree multiuser application design, and the Windows platform to create a Natural User Interface (NUI).

Surface eventually evolved into today’s Microsoft Surface. Microsoft continues to utilize the NUI interaction model and standards for physically interacting with digital content in both their software and hardware products.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

A newly formed product development team was charged with taking an incubation project known as Surface from Microsoft Research Studio and developing commercial use cases and applications.

The design team worked closely with Microsoft Research Labs, company evangelists, and pioneers like Bill Buxton and August de los Reyes, to forge multitouch and multiuser experiences never attempted before, creating patent-worthy technology and design that continues to impact technologies today.

ROLE: UX DESIGN LEAD

Developed and standardized a NUI, multitouch interactive, and navigational model.
Co-led user and market research to identify and understand target audience product needs.
Managed projects and relationships with cross-cultural product teams.

PROJECT GOALS

The team was responsible for developing viable use cases to commercialize military, enterprise, and consumer products and defined objectives and key performance indicators for this new Microsoft business model.

The team also was responsible for developing and adopting a new design-led process for this project, with the design and research team being accountable for the vision and initial project success.

SOLUTIONS

Developed fundamental experiences and a software development kit that made technological advancements in touch computing accessible to everyone.
Designed a multitouch experience unique to this form factor and platform that scaled to multiple unique users without user interactions or performance issues.
Built out a comprehensive gesture library for use in developing interactions and novel experiences that are extensible and educational.

REQUIREMENTS

Collaborate with product development, marketing, and business development to create a go-to-market strategy.
Develop a 10-year software and hardware strategy for Microsoft to apply the vision to all their products across the company.
Develop an interaction and navigation model for multiple unique users, multiple inputs, and device connectivity.
Develop a natural interface that allows the users to interact with touch, voice, and objects to engage with the platform.
Identify and conceptualize military, enterprise, and consumer use.
Define objectives and key performance indicators for the new Microsoft business model (design and business team collaboration).

WINDOWS 10 INTEGRATION

Collaborated with the Microsoft Windows organization as the sole contributor from the Surface team to develop applications for hardware partnerships that Microsoft would announce.

As a cross-organization team, we added value and visibility to HP desktop and notebook touch features with new Surface-style applications like Attract, an educational application that familiarizes users with touch computing, Photo Gallery, and Maps.

The team also identified experiences that would provide the best entry points into desktop touch computing. The product teams developed PC-appropriate versions that laid the experience roadmap for the next five years of touch computing at Microsoft. This included features like photo manipulation that previously required a keyboard and mouse.

Design leadership contributions included high-level design concepts, cross-team reviews, lateral reviews, and general design documentation.

SURFACE X W HOTELS

Commercial brand partnerships were integral to the success of productizing and creating demand for Surface.

Design team collaboration with various Entertainment Group teams (Xbox and Zune) and the Starwood Hotel Group’s W hotels enabled the creation of an exclusive in-house music experience.

The unique branded experience for the W Hotel Music Service was a direct result of the team’s usability studies and design work on the hardware and software sides.

DESIGN OVERVIEW

The screens represent the design work and explorations I led to guide the product development and key decisions while also building design systems, prototypes, and component libraries.