overview
I’ve led software experiences for 3 generations of the Pixel Buds portfolio since the conception of Google’s first truly wireless earbuds (Pixel Buds 2020). The following projects highlight moments of significant impact meeting user needs, elevating brand perception, and propelling innovation across 1P Pixel devices.
Below are high-level overviews of 3 recent projects.
Please contact me to learn more.
Role & duration
UX Designer | Software Experiences
Onboarding, mobile app, design systems, HW/SW interactions, user flows, user research, prototyping & testing. 0 to 1.
Aug 2021 – Jul 2022 (11 months)
About Pixel Buds Pro
These buds are freaking cool and we’ve come a long way to establish ourselves as a competitive option in the premium earbud category. They were reviewed by MKBHD as one of the best earbuds in the market. Our users note the quality of ANC, audio quality, fit and comfort, as well as evolving software features as highlights. I am so proud of our team and the incredible work that went into delivering such an excellent user experience.
1 / Out of box experience (OOBE)
Overview
There is only one first impression. The challenge was to design a captivating, yet informative, onboarding experience for Pixel Buds Pro users that delivered a premium look & feel and set them up for success when using their new earbuds. With each new generation of Pixel Buds, there are more features the team wanted to highlight in onboarding. As the UX Designer and advocate for the user, I was responsible for ensuring the OOBE would be completed, with delight, by establishing principles and patterns that drove decision making.
Collaboration with
Product Managers, UX/UI Designers, UX Researchers, Software engineers, Art directors, Technical artist, Program managers (full-stack team)
Premium look & feel
Interactive guidance
2 / Custom EQ & Volume balance
Overview
One of the top feature requests post-launch was for the ability to customize your equalizer settings and to enable left & right volume balances to stay saved on the earbuds for a consistent listening experience regardless of what host device you used.
Custom EQ was a multi-year project in which we benchmarked current in-market patterns, built & tested prototypes, ran in-depth research studies, and ultimately landed on a design pattern that was “uniquely Google”, appealing to both casual audio listeners and audiophiles.
Research participant quote will go here. Something about how cool and helpful this feature is.
The Volume Balance feature was especially meaningful to me because it was an opportunity to cater to specific user needs, increasing accessibility of high quality audio while protecting user’s hearing wellness.
3 / Pixel Buds A-Series
After launching the first generation of truly wireless Pixel Buds, I led the hardware & software UX for the Pixel Buds A-Series.
What initially began as a “copy-paste-reduce-ship” type of project, transformed into an exercise in how to intentionally simplify while preserving the core essence of what made these earbuds special. Our aim was to deliver an affordable, value-driven option without compromising a high quality audio experience.
Pixel Buds A-Series launched in Spring of 2022 and is still on-shelf today (Winter 2024), which is a pretty big deal in the consumer tech space. It even exceeded 1M in shipments worldwide in one year! I am incredibly proud of this project and am happy to share more about it.
“By holding onto a lot of what worked best on the 2020 Pixel Buds – namely sound quality and hands-free voice controls– and improving other parts that didn’t, Google has ended up with an appealing set of $99 earbuds.”
