I’ve been reflecting recently on the long arc of my design career and reminiscing about some of my early experiences shipping some successful products like the Xbox 360. Microsoft was my first real corporate job after college, and if I am to be completely honest, working there influenced me in profoundly positive ways. I’ve always been grateful for the opportunities that I had to succeed while working there. I was surrounded by amazing colleagues who were all highly motivated and passionate about creating truly magical product, service, and platform experiences. Everyone on my team took their roles and responsibilities very seriously, and with every success we were rewarded with more responsibility, and of course more work. It was a very special time in my career, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Sometimes people ask me how I started off my career on such a positive note. The most honest and accurate answer is actually quite simple: I was the right person in the right place at the right time… a few times. And I suspect that much of what happens in our lives, including the opportunities we are given, the people we become, and the stories we accumulate have a lot to do with this as well. 

Reflections

I remember standing in the break room a few weeks before we shipped the Xbox 360 console, when a senior developer who had been with the company for a long time walked in. He turned to me and said: “this is going to be one of those once in a career moments” referring to our imminent launch. At the time, I didn’t really understand what he meant, but looking back years later I can say that I get it now. I’ve had some remarkable roles and contributed to some successful products over the years, but nothing really compares to the sense of agency, excitement, and camaraderie that I felt when we were building the Xbox 360. 

We all knew that the platform that we had been working on so diligently, and in total secrecy for years, would soon be revealed and that people were really going to love it. Many of us shared the belief that this was going to be a defining moment in console gaming history, and in our professional lives - and it was on both accounts. While nothing is ever perfect, it ended up becoming the first generation where Microsoft had a winning strategy, and it was obvious that the team executed really well on a number of fronts. In the end, the Xbox 360 console was on the market for 11-years and would go on to reach 86 million homes, becoming the 8th best-selling console generation of all time. 

New Beginnings

My journey at Xbox began right as I was planning an extended trip across Europe. I had just renewed my passport and was looking forward to exploring the gorgeous countryside in Italy and France. But it seems that the universe had other plans in mind for me when I was suddenly called in for an interview at Microsoft. The only thing I knew when I walked in the door was that I would be working on design and prototyping for Xbox LIVE, which was released a few years prior. On my drive back home I received a call from the recruiter saying that they offered me the job. And so it began! A few weeks later, instead of trekking across Europe, I began my journey at Xbox and joined a small, scrappy, and highly motivated creative team; a melting pot of product designers, industrial designers, visual designers, user researchers, and design leadership. The team was initially charged with creating a next-generation Xbox console, Xbox accessories, and related projects, but our responsibilities would eventually expand into other domains as we began to enjoy number of successful product releases. 

Initially, I was tasked with designing prototypes for Xbox Marketplace and Xbox LIVE profiles. After a few months I expanded into production design which included devising strategies to execute our team’s designs, building the tools that we were creating the console software in, and working closely with a number of incredibly talented engineers and program managers. I was lovingly called “the keeper of the skins” by my teams leadership because I was responsible for implementing our UI theming strategy, coordinating UI optimizations with engineering, and knowing everything there is to know about producing the Xbox 360 dashboard and guide. I worked closely with the engineering team and the art director to optimize our visual and motion design strategy to help the team overcome certain limitations and technical constraints. 

After we launched the console, I transitioned into a UX program management role where my core responsibilities included UX oversight of console system settings, OOBE / software setup, areas of the marketplace download experience, achievement notifications improvements, notifications settings, asset management, and XNA Game Studio Express. I also worked on several stealth projects, contributed to developer kit releases, Xbox UI sound design, and I contributed to multiple Xbox.com redesigns while supporting the development of several accessories like the Xbox 360 wireless headset, external HD-DVD drive, and the Xbox LIVE Vision camera. 

One notable project that I really enjoyed was designing a new marketplace download experience under low-disk space scenarios which provided users with an intuitive content management experience. After a digital purchase was completed by a user, the console would check to see if there was enough disk space to complete the download. If not, the user could select an option to "clear space" and the user would be brought to a modified version of the storage app where they would be able to clear enough space to complete the download. I also contributed to our prototyping efforts and worked with our research team on iterative user testing of this feature. 

Xbox 360 UI Sound Experience

As a result of my past experience in audio engineering, I was asked to manage UI sound design for the Xbox 360 console and Xbox peripheral devices. I led an external vendor in the creation of UI sounds, while organizing and leading group testing for the top concepts. I worked closely with the product, brand, and exec teams to refine and ultimately decide on a final sound set. I co-created the delightful top-level (“whooosh”) blade transition sounds that made the Xbox 360 UI sound experience so delightful and memorable. These sound states are still considered a signature sound across all generations of the Xbox 360 console software and are still featured in the most recent iteration with only minor tweaks. It’s worth noting that after the original inspiration occurred, I recorded a fishing pole in one of Microsoft's audio studios which became the basis for these sounds. 

I was also extremely pro-active in defining the architectural challenges of adding UI sounds to the Xbox 360 console. I defined initial audio states while working with the developer responsible to support our team's requirements. I also worked closely with the Xbox UI app team to develop custom audio controls that would offer the design team additional flexibility. 

One of my favorite audio projects was designing the UI sound interaction experience for the Xbox 360 Wireless Headset. I built on top of the melodic framework that we created for the console to create a complimentary experience in terms of tonality and style. Additionally, these sounds had to convey important information and were solely responsible for providing the user with critical feedback. For instance, providing the user with a persistent indicator of when they had muted their own microphone while in-game, which was a common scenario. Also, since the buttons on the headset are not seen but only felt but by the user, I believed that it was important to ensure that button actions that were intended provided confirmation by communicating clear and consistent tonal feedback. 

Xbox.com Redesigns (2x)

I worked with the Xbox.com team as a liaison from the Xbox platform experience team to help coordinate the redesign of all game detail pages and content migration. I provided design program management support, including facilitating daily SCRUM meetings with the team, tracking our progress against planned milestones, and facilitating the flow of information across teams. 

• Xbox LIVE Account Creation: I helped design the website implementation of Xbox LIVE account creation for the Xbox 360 launch. This method of sign-up was preferred by users due to its ease of use, accessibility, and expediency.
• Navigation: The team and I worked on redefining the top-tier navigation to meet the needs of our product and game content plans. I produced design documents that described both our existing information architecture and interaction models, and proposals for updating these experiences. 
• Content Strategy: I worked on the migration of our first and third party game catalog to newly designed game details pages, and helped transition our landing page content strategy to a new model that promoted the best aspects of the console platform and its partners. 

Innovation and UX Strategy

I was one of 5 UX Program Managers who owned high-level feature areas across the Xbox dashboard and guide. Our goal was to blend style, functionality, and personalization, offering not only exceptional gaming experiences but also a platform for social interaction, and mixed-media entertainment. This vision of a versatile home entertainment device was a bold departure from traditional gaming consoles which were often laser-focused on gameplay. Another departure was the “platform-ification” of the experience across game titles. New platform features like achievements, reputation, gamer score, global notifications system, messaging, chat, and video calling (just to name a few). 

Our approach was grounded in rigorous design, prototyping, and iterative testing for features like the dashboard and guide concept design, Xbox Marketplace, Xbox profiles, and others. We continually refined our designs, ensuring that each aspect of the Xbox 360 user experience was polished and easy to use. The launch of the Xbox 360 marked a significant milestone for the gaming industry. It was gratifying to see our vision come to life and be embraced by millions worldwide. The console not only set new standards in gaming, but also in home entertainment, leaving a lasting impact on the industry. 

Overcoming Tech/Business Constraints

Creating the Xbox 360 was not without its challenges. We were tasked with creating a next-generation console experience under significant business and resource constraints. One such challenge was working within GPU and disk space limitations for design assets, which required innovative problem-solving and technical ingenuity. However, our proximity to the engineering and program management teams fostered a collaborative environment essential for innovation. In my opinion this was pivotal in shaping the Xbox 360. 

Zero Hour, E3, and GDC

A few weeks later some colleagues and I flew to the Mojave Desert for the Xbox 360 Zero Hour launch celebration, which was was one of the most elaborate productions I have ever seen, even to this day. A month later there was the Xbox 360 launch party at the Showbox in Seattle for Xbox employees, which was incredibly fun. In May I went to E3 in LA with a few colleagues to help support the Xbox 360 booth, and attend talks, announcements, and view new releases from Sony, Nintendo, and various game studios. The following year I attended GDC in San Francisco with my boss, and I was really excited to finally see legendary Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto give a wonderful keynote address. 

Past, Present, and Future

Reflecting on my time at Xbox, I realize now how much it shaped my professional journey. It was more than simply a diverse team building a product; it was a group of passionate and motivated professionals who were given an opportunity to create an experience for millions of people and reshape the industry. As I look to the future, I'm excited about the evolving landscape of innovation in game consoles and the endless possibilities that await.