Design lead

product definition

research

ui design & Prototyping

Project: Integrate Android phone calendars to Android Auto.  Press link

Problem statement: Instead of having to use their phone, drivers wanted access to their events on their car head unit. Auto team needed to create an app that would take users’ phone calendar and enable a safe and seamless car app. 

My role and responsibilities: I led the design track from definition to launch. Collaborated with product manager on product definition, and with designers/researchers/engineers on design direction and execution. 

Lack of calendar integration has been a pain point. Understanding where to start, which features to bring over and optimize for car usage was a big unknown. I helped the team gather knowledge and form early hypotheses. I led efforts to test with users and iterate on the approach. Resulting in a well accepted product that is still growing to include various new features.

Design lead

product definition

research

ui design & Prototyping

Project: Enhance messaging experience on Auto.  Press link

Problem statement: Integration with messaging apps have been through notifications only. This meant users were interacting with all their messages (from various apps) on the Android Auto notification center. Creating an integrated content model rather than mimicking and supporting users’ app-based mental model. 

My role and responsibilities: I led the design track from definition to first phases of implementation. Collaborated with product manager on product definition and with designers/researchers/engineers on design direction and execution. 

I designed and prototyped several UI patterns and flows. Collaborated with researchers to run concept evaluation and usability testing, which helped team confirm that the app-based model was the right direction.

We also used research as input for major decisions we were unsure about. For example, we uncovered that users were not interested in accessing older messages in the car. This eliminated the need for deeper level app views we were split on. Also observed that the UI pattern needed to be optimized for frequent use. I proposed the current flat design (no buttons) that simplified the list and featured large tap targets enhancing usability while driving.

usability testing

Development support

wireframing

functional documentation

creative lead

Project: Develop a fueling app for Exxons’ Esso brand for the UK and European market. View in Apple app store. View in Google Play store

Problem and opportunity statement: Queueing at petrol stations has been a daily pain point for drivers in the UK. To solve this, Exxon wanted to develop a mobile payment app. 

After an initial design phase that I was not involve din, client team started developing the app. However, design concept was not tested with users and needed a lot more definition for implementation.

My role and responsibilities: Collaborating with a creative lead and project manager, I led two rounds of user research. Iterated on initial designs while developing detailed designs for implementation. Also, provided creative direction to a client team who were simultaneously developing the iOS app.