My responsibility at Google was to optimize user experiences with our partnership with ADT. This partnership benefits users by combining Google's innovative software with ADT's #1 security system reputation.
Please note: Due to a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), I can't disclose specific details, design processes, or metrics of this project. Despite this, the experience greatly enhanced my UX design skills and approach to complex challenges.
2-app optimization
The blossoming partnership left users in 2-app experience, between the Google Home app and the new ADT+ app. I created audits of user’s current experiences and looked for areas for optimization and improvement. This helped to further strengthen the partnership and ensured our users felt safe when creating a partnered experience
Setting optimization
My primary focus centers on enhancing the management capabilities within applications through setting optimization. I hold a belief that regardless of a product's exceptional innovative features, its overall utility diminishes if the intuitive and seamless aspects of management, discoverability, and education are not prioritized. I enjoy dissecting intricate user edge cases that have the potential to undermine the quality of experiences. Additionally, I have gained valuable expertise in presenting these user journeys and my improvement explorations to cross-functional teams and stakeholders, guaranteeing the feasibility and practicality of our solutions within the broader business context.
Cross-functional collaboration
To maintain functionality between the Google Home and ADT+ apps, we held weekly meetings with ADT's UX team, collaborating on design solutions for shared challenges. This experience honed my skills in presenting to external stakeholders crucial to our partnership and fostered collaboration across two large organizations.
User-first Design
During my role, I had the invaluable opportunity to engage in extensive prototyping of numerous design explorations, specifically tailored for user research purposes. This involvement provided me with the privilege of actively participating in user research sessions, where I directly witnessed the interactions and responses of users towards our designs.
User research testing
This aspect of my role emerged as a personal favorite, because I loved to see my explorations in the hands of real users. As designers, it is imperative to not just take our assumptions in during the creation process, particularly for products catering to a vast and diverse audiences. I prioritized the consideration of a wide spectrum of users while addressing edge cases, all the while ensuring accessibility remained a fundamental principle guiding my design choices.
Prototyping
I played a key role in empowering our UX researchers by meticulously mapping out user journeys and the ideal "happy path" for our products. By prototyping these pathways within the Settings work streams and crafting strategic questions for user feedback, I helped to significantly influence our design outcomes.
To ensure our products delivered safety and efficiency, I prioritized understanding user experiences firsthand. By integrating observed, real user feedback into our design iterations, I effectively persuaded key stakeholders of our strategic design choices.
Image blurred for NDA confidentiality
Reflection
Being deeply passionate about working in the dynamic tech industry, I was constantly inspired by the profound impact and convenience that technology gives millions of users in their daily lives. Recognizing that technology has become an indispensable aspect of everyday existence, I find great excitement in being part of an industry that continually strives to optimize and elevate these experiences for the benefit of all individuals.
