Microsoft
Surface
Product Design, UI/UX Prototyping
Agency
Material+
In 2020, while working at Material, I joined the Microsoft Surface team on a six-month retainer to help shape the Surface app experience as a Product Designer. Partnering with our Design Lead, Rene, I contributed to a wide range of product areas. These included the Out of Box Experience (OOBE), Pen, Notifications, Nearby Devices, EQ controls, Profile Settings, and device personalization features.
The goal was not to create a visually flashy application, but rather an experience that felt like a natural extension of the hardware itself. We evaluated every single interaction for usability, accessibility, and clarity to ensure users could easily manage and personalize their devices without friction.
Working with product management, engineering, accessibility specialists, copywriters, and audio teams, we designed user flows, interaction models, and prototypes that translated strict requirements into intuitive experiences. We also reviewed our designs collaboratively with a growing team of developers, ensuring implementation details, interaction behaviors, and accessibility requirements stayed perfectly aligned from concept through delivery.
PROJECT 06
Prototyping played a central role throughout the engagement. Using Figma and ProtoPie, we explored and validated everything from complete user journeys down to individual micro-interactions.
Designs were accompanied by detailed annotations and redlines, ensuring interactions and behaviors were implemented as intended.
Result
Midway through the engagement, I stepped into the design lead role and managed the rolling handoffs, partnering directly with Microsoft to ensure a seamless transition of each feature to their internal design team. The entire experience provided invaluable exposure to product thinking at scale, significantly deepening my understanding of interaction design, accessibility, and cross-functional collaboration.
More importantly, this project fundamentally shaped how I approach design today. It proved that successful product work is almost never about adding more to the screen. It is entirely about stripping away friction, clarifying the intent, and getting out of the user's way so they can accomplish their goals as easily as possible.