user-friendly-feedback_3X2tile.jpg

Designer and journalist Cliff Kuang shares an excerpt from “User Friendly”

Lessons from the Scariest Design Disaster in American History

Google-design-2020_3X2.png

When we left our desks back in March, we didn’t think twice about leaving our office plants and reading glasses behind. Days became weeks, weeks stretched to months. (We eventually said goodbye to the fiddle leaf figs). Soon we were sharing tips on how to work together while apart, and recognizing a fundamental shift in the way we work. The resiliency of our Google colleagues was never in doubt, but this year we saw them flex and adapt in exciting new directions, all while meeting people where they are (usually at home), to deliver experiences that made us feel more connected, informed, and optimistic than ever. Most of the work we reviewed for this year’s annual revue was created remotely, during a global pandemic, and is shaped by that context. And yet, we think you’ll find that the noteworthy projects—including crowdsourced earthquake alerts and variable fonts—add up to a stellar year for UX at Google. As we look ahead to 2021 (praise be!) take a minute to applaud the work and the people who made 2020 sing.

Google Design’s Best of 2020

seed_studio_library_tile_3X2.png

Google Seed Studio shares the inspiration behind their latest creative direction

Beneath the Surface

conversation-ar-id_feature.png

The avant-garde of experience design are transforming the way we interact with different environments—even creating new, entirely virtual ones. To find out how industrial design, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) are shaping the design narrative at Google, we sit down with Alberto Villarreal, Creative Lead on the Google Mobile Industrial Design team, Hillary Lindeman, Product Design Lead on Google&#x27;s AR team, and Hannes Harms, Creative Lead on the Google Industrial Design team.Hannes and Hillary have worked on some of Google’s most innovative digital experiences, including the Daydream VR headset and YouTube AR, while Alberto has worked on the most recent mobile products like Pixel 4a, and laptops and tablets including Pixelbook Go and Pixel Slate. Here, the trio discuss the surprising overlaps between their novel disciplines and why designing products that don’t exist yet is a dream come true.

Three Designers Walk Into a Virtual Conversation…

good-design_3X2.png

What is good design? Well, it depends who you ask. In the words of UX Researcher Izzie Zahorian, “Oftentimes, coming into contact with good design makes me question whether something has been designed at all.” Not too far from the Ramsian doctrine that states good design is “as little design as possible.” But what is good, really? And good for who? And what do the objects we uphold as paragons of design say about us? We spoke with designers, researchers, and others responsible for the user experience across Google products about what they consider to be good design. From corn cob skewers to a deck of playing cards—we’ll let their responses speak for themselves.

Is It Good Design? Well, Yeah.

Method_9_3x2.png

UX designer Josh Lovejoy talks about designing Google Clips, and the future of AI-powered products

Industrial Design

Lessons from the Scariest Design Disaster in American History

Google Design’s Best of 2020

Beneath the Surface

Three Designers Walk Into a Virtual Conversation…

Is It Good Design? Well, Yeah.

Method Podcast, Episode 9

Design Notes, Episode 1