Microsoft faced pressure from Apple concerning its App Store. As a result, Microsoft shifted its business focus toward modernizing the Windows OS and developing an App Store to compete with Apple. My role transitioned to the Windows design team.
Led the UX design for the initial public release of the Windows App Store publishing platform. Responsible for applying the Windows 8 Metro Design language to enhance all platform features and align with the new UI kit system patterns.
I partnered with a UX researcher to conduct in-depth customer research and validate scenarios. On the ground, I created an HTML prototype to test the entire customer workflow. The UX research facility was fully equipped, featuring a two-way mirror and eye-tracking software. UX research praised the prototype, which helped make the customer interviews more efficient. During interviews, I received detailed analysis reports. Watching and listening to customers discuss their experiences gave valuable insights that guided design improvements.
App Publishing Workflow – Responsible for managing the onboarding workflow pages for app submission to publish a Windows Store App, whether for free or as a paid download.
Customer Feedback Feature — From the App Store, customers can have two-way conversations with the App Developer by allowing them to send a private message. The goal was to help developers improve the quality of the App. I prototyped the idea and pitched this leadership as an innovation to improve the product experience.
The Insights – From my own experience publishing Oscar’s Adventure as an early adopter, I received a few negative comments. I wish I had been able to respond to customer feedback.
· Decrease the amount of negative app feedback displayed in the app store.
· Improve the perception of the Windows App Store as a bug triage location.
The concept – In the Windows App Store, customers can communicate directly with developers and receive real-time feedback instead of voicing customer feedback publicly in the Windows App store.
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Problem Statement – The Windows App shell/SDK (tech stack) was still in early development, causing apps to crash, which wasn’t necessarily the developer’s fault. App crashes were difficult to test in the production environment since Windows was in private beta mode, leading customers to provide public feedback through ratings and reviews.
Business Partnership – Due to the number of images and the time I could dedicate to the application, I arranged an advertising partnership with Dreamstime.com. In return, I gained full access to their entire illustration library. I also provided them with a splash screen advertisement that appeared during each game transition. This was a significant business deal and a win-win for both parties.
Taking Initiative – While working on the App developer publishing platform, I was curious about publishing my Windows app and gaining a better understanding of customer pain points. I reached out to a developer, and we agreed to create Oscar’s Adventure, a children’s learning app for ages 3-6. We successfully designed, built, and published the app in less than a month. The process helped me understand the customer journey, allowing me to influence product decisions since I was a customer.
Oscar Sketches – Some early concept sketches of Oscar the Otter to the final .svg variations.
WINDOWS OS – DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
Windows – Metro Design Language
When I was part of the Windows Design Team (XDR), the mission was to reimagine every customer touchpoint digitally for Windows OS and Web Apps. A key part of my role was to modernize the systems to align with the Metro Design Language, ensuring all pages and components reflected the new UI kit for the Windows App developer platform.
The Vision – To build an App Store marketplace that supports multiple technology platforms through integration. A redesigned Windows publishing system could onboard Windows XAML apps, Xbox, Win32, Web Apps, and Android via a single ingestion pipeline.
The Insights – Apple leads the industry with innovative design, and the Windows organization was pressured to attract the trendy crowd back to stay competitive. Rumors suggest that if Apple allowed its OS to be installed on any PC hardware (hypothetically), it could significantly impact Microsoft’s revenue from its Windows OS.
Design Challenge – The Beginning: When I joined the Windows App Store team, a product manager from the India Development Center (IDC) showed me a PowerPoint deck featuring the dashboard concept. I spent the next few years directing art and influencing product decisions while working with a remote team.
