Google Pixel Watch
(2021-Present)
Google Pixel Watch is the first smartwatch built by Google.
Our goal as a team was to build a great device experience for the product to ensure a successful launch to the market.
🔍 Role
As a UX lead, I led the three major product areas.
1. Out-of-Box Experience & Mobile Companion App: I drove the entire process of developing setup experience for watch, and built the entire new mobile app for managing watch.
2. Safety Features: In collaboration with partner teams from Wear OS & Android, I worked on core safety features for Pixel Watch, such as Fall Detection & Safety Signal.
3. Multi-Year Design Strategy: I worked on new UX principles, framework, and strategies around emerging themes like GenAI with cross-functional teammates.
🏔️ Challenge
Organizational complexity: This project really pushed me to work with people across multiple orgs. For out-of-box experience, many different Google products are introduced and surfaced during the watch setup flow. So my main job as a UX lead was to coordinate and align with the multiple teams involved in the watch setup flow. For safety features, another example, the work must be done in collaboration across different orgs, such as Wear OS and Android. I was able to lead and manage the entire scope of the safety projects and work closely with partner teams to build the features while maintaining a trusted relationship with them.
💡 What I learned
There are few things about collaboration that I learned from this project.
1. Understand the stakeholders: The first step of cross-team collaboration is to understand the stakeholders & partners involved in the product and process, identifying their roles, responsibilities, and interests.
2. Build relationships: This involves getting to know them and understanding their perspectives, concerns, and limitations.
3. Communicate effectively: This involves keeping them informed of my progress, sharing my ideas, and seeking their input, escalating to higher level if necessary.
4. Be flexible and adaptable: Must be flexible and adaptable in my approach to working with stakeholders. I am willing to listen to their feedback and make changes to my plans as needed.
🙌🏼 Peer Feedback
"Kyungmin has a unique ability to work with people from all corners of the organization and create thoughtful UX designs, which has been an invaluable asset to our team."
— Product Manager
“Kyungmin has done a great job coordinating and aligning across multiple teams. All of his projects require multiple team's buy-ins (high organizational difficulties). As a UX lead, he leads/manages the entire scope of the project involving VisD, UXW, and multiple ENG partners and PMs. Also identified issues and advocated a new solutions. These are L6 (Staff designer level) traits.“
— UX Director