Intro
As one of the 20 designers on the Microsoft E+D Growth team, I spent 5 years growing from a mid-level designer to a design lead. I tackled growth projects across all user lifecycle stages, including acquisition, activation / onboarding, engagement, upsell, and retention for Microsoft 365 premium apps, freemium apps, and Microsoft 365 Copilot. I also led the design of a Microsoft company-wide privacy project.
In my final year, I took on management and culture work, leading a 3-designer project team and our cross Design and Research culture team, organizing learning sessions and team-building activities, fostering growth, collaboration, and a strong sense of unity to help our team thrive together.
One. Era of AI - Copilot Growth
As one of the five leads for Microsoft Experience & Device Growth Design Team, I help drive Copilot product growth by implementing a strategic upsell framework focused on limit-based upsell, value-driven upsell, viral adoption with social proof, and ensuring a coherent user experience across all consumer and commercial users.
Please note that this project is covered by an NDA, so I can share more details during our phone screen or interview.
Two. Growth Journey for Microsoft 365
Over the past three years, I’ve worked on projects spanning the full user lifecycle—acquisition, engagement, lifecycle messaging, and team management—driving growth and retention.
- Freemium Experience: Helped manage a team to launch a freemium app, improving user adoption and conversion.
- Microsoft 365 Engagement: Led a project to help subscribers maximize their benefits, launching a structured dialogue system that improved feature discovery.
- User Acquisition: Drove the unauthorized M365 subscription page project, boosting conversion rates through targeted education and seamless upgrade paths.
- Lifecycle Messaging: Defined and orchestrated messaging across the user journey, enhancing activation, engagement, and retention.
My work has focused on optimizing user experiences, increasing engagement, and driving strategic growth.
Three. Privacy by design
As the sole designer for Microsoft 365 (formerly Office apps), I led the design of user experiences that achieved GDPR compliance and adhered to the Age Appropriate Design Code (AADC) regulation. We successfully launched a personalized ads control feature, empowering users with greater control over their privacy settings. Our approach emphasized transparency and demonstrated the value users receive as the app leverages their data to perform intelligent actions. Then, I led a team to develop the “Unified Consent” company-wide privacy experiences across Microsoft 365 apps, Windows, Edge, and other products. We notified users about improvements, eliminated data silos, and synchronized user preferences. We also created a unified consent database and management framework for quick notifications and consents, enhancing user experiences and benefiting both customers and Microsoft.
Four. As a lead
In my final year, I embraced a leadership role, managing a team of three talented designers over the course of an three-month period. Together, we focused on designing for the complete user lifecycle of Microsoft 365 Free Apps, from onboarding to retention and beyond. My responsibilities included setting clear project goals, ensuring alignment across the team with PMs, and facilitating collaboration to deliver a cohesive, user-centered solution. This experience not only honed my design leadership skills but also deepened my understanding of balancing creativity with strategy to meet project objectives.
Beyond project work, I took the lead in transforming our team culture as the head of the Cross-Design and Research Culture Team. I began by designing and distributing a survey to identify the needs and aspirations of our team members, ensuring every voice was heard. With these insights, I assembled a dedicated culture team of five designers and researchers, and together we curated impactful initiatives tailored to our team's growth and connection. We organized high-demand sessions such as project share-outs, skill-building workshops, product teardown analysis, career-focused "Ask Me Anything" discussions, and the deeply personal “What Makes You, You” sessions to foster authenticity and understanding of our unique every team member. Outside of our culture meetings, we also introduced “Work Buddy” pairings and other team-building activities that strengthened relationships and encouraged collaboration. These efforts not only enhanced our team's sense of unity but also created a vibrant, knowledge-sharing environment where designers and researchers felt supported, inspired, and empowered to grow together.
These experiences solidified my passion for not only crafting exceptional user experiences but also cultivating strong, supportive UX teams that bring those experiences to life. I firmly believe that a great design is born from collaboration, trust, and shared growth—and I am excited to continue building environments where creativity and connection thrive.
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