NDA🔐
NDA🔐
NDA🔐
Designing Focus for Modern Work
Microsoft | Duration: Jan 2025 – June 2025
Designing Focus for Modern Work
Microsoft
Duration: Jan 2024 – June 2024
Helping people focus, not just work - Designing calmer digital spaces for focus
Helping people focus, not just work - Designing calmer digital spaces for focus
People open their laptops to work but often get lost in notifications and multitasking. During my internship at Microsoft IDC, I owned the end-to-end UX for Windows Focus Mode, aiming to make focus a system-level integration rather than a standalone tool.
During my internship at Microsoft IDC, I explored how Windows could help users stay focused. The goal was simple. Make focus part of the system instead of another tool people need to set up or remember.
People open their laptops to work but often get lost in notifications and multitasking. During my internship at Microsoft IDC, I owned the end-to-end UX for Windows Focus Mode, aiming to make focus a system-level integration rather than a standalone tool.
During my internship at Microsoft IDC, I explored how Windows could help users stay focused. The goal was simple. Make focus part of the system instead of another tool people need to set up or remember.
My Role and Contributions
Product Design | Research | Prototyping | UX Strategy
My Role and Contributions
Product Design | Research | Prototyping | UX Strategy
I was part of the Windows Experiences team, working on understanding where attention drops and how design can support focus without interrupting it. Experiences team to validate and ship workflows that support deep work without interrupting user flow.
I contributed to:
Mapping user behavior and attention patterns
Conducted user interview and research with real users through Fable platform.
Defining design principles for calm and human-centered interactions
Prototyping subtle visual cues, micro-interactions, and system responses
Testing ideas internally and refining concepts based on feedback
I was part of the Windows Experiences team, working on understanding where attention drops and how design can support focus without interrupting it. Experiences team to validate and ship workflows that support deep work without interrupting user flow.
I contributed to:
Mapping user behavior and attention patterns
Conducted user interview and research with real users through Fable platform.
Defining design principles for calm and human-centered interactions
Prototyping subtle visual cues, micro-interactions, and system responses
Testing ideas internally and refining concepts based on feedback
The Challenge
The Challenge
Windows productivity tools were functional but disconnected, forcing users to context-switch frequently. The goal was to integrate Focus Mode directly into the OS shell to support developer productivity and reduce cognitive load.
Our goal was to design focus as a built-in experience that naturally supports users while they work.
Windows productivity tools were functional but disconnected, forcing users to context-switch frequently. The goal was to integrate Focus Mode directly into the OS shell to support developer productivity and reduce cognitive load.
Our goal was to design focus as a built-in experience that naturally supports users while they work.
The Process & Research
The Process & Research
User Research: Conducted research with real users via the Fable platform and validated workflows with 12 technical users to understand multitasking pain points.
Iterative Testing: Integrated feedback from 50+ early adopters into live Windows updates, refining the interaction model for rapid iteration.
Design Strategy: Explored lightweight interactions, such as soft visual cues and grouped tasks, to reduce context switching.
User Research: Conducted research with real users via the Fable platform and validated workflows with 12 technical users to understand multitasking pain points.
Iterative Testing: Integrated feedback from 50+ early adopters into live Windows updates, refining the interaction model for rapid iteration.
Design Strategy: Explored lightweight interactions, such as soft visual cues and grouped tasks, to reduce context switching.
Design Approach
Design Approach
I explored lightweight interactions integrated into existing Windows surfaces.
Ideas included:
Soft visual cues to help users notice when they drift
Grouping related tasks to reduce context switching
Subtle timing cues to bring users back to their main task
Everything was designed to support focus without being intrusive or restrictive.
I explored lightweight interactions integrated into existing Windows surfaces.
Ideas included:
Soft visual cues to help users notice when they drift
Grouping related tasks to reduce context switching
Subtle timing cues to bring users back to their main task
Everything was designed to support focus without being intrusive or restrictive.
The Impact (Key Results)
The Impact (Key Results)
This project moved beyond concept to impact:
Scale: The feature served 650K+ Monthly Active Users (MAU).
Discoverability: Redesigned entry points increased feature discoverability by 25%.
Efficiency: Validated a 20% improvement in task-switch efficiency, a critical metric for developer productivity.
This project moved beyond concept to impact:
Scale: The feature served 650K+ Monthly Active Users (MAU).
Discoverability: Redesigned entry points increased feature discoverability by 25%.
Efficiency: Validated a 20% improvement in task-switch efficiency, a critical metric for developer productivity.
Outcome
Outcome
The work helped define early design principles for future focus experiences in Windows.
It influenced how the system can adapt to attention and create calmer, more intentional workflows.
The work helped define early design principles for future focus experiences in Windows.
It influenced how the system can adapt to attention and create calmer, more intentional workflows.
Reflection
Reflection
Designing for focus taught me that productivity is not just about tools.
It’s about creating space for users to breathe, think, and finish one thing at a time.
Designing for focus taught me that productivity is not just about tools.
It’s about creating space for users to breathe, think, and finish one thing at a time.
Designing Focus for Modern Work
Microsoft | Duration: Jan 2025 – June 2025
Helping people focus, not just work - Designing calmer digital spaces for focus
People open their laptops to work but often get lost in notifications and multitasking. During my internship at Microsoft IDC, I owned the end-to-end UX for Windows Focus Mode, aiming to make focus a system-level integration rather than a standalone tool.
During my internship at Microsoft IDC, I explored how Windows could help users stay focused. The goal was simple. Make focus part of the system instead of another tool people need to set up or remember.
My Role and Contributions
Product Design | Research | Prototyping | UX Strategy
I was part of the Windows Experiences team, working on understanding where attention drops and how design can support focus without interrupting it. Experiences team to validate and ship workflows that support deep work without interrupting user flow.
I contributed to:
Mapping user behavior and attention patterns
Conducted user interview and research with real users through Fable platform.
Defining design principles for calm and human-centered interactions
Prototyping subtle visual cues, micro-interactions, and system responses
Testing ideas internally and refining concepts based on feedback
The Challenge
Windows productivity tools were functional but disconnected, forcing users to context-switch frequently. The goal was to integrate Focus Mode directly into the OS shell to support developer productivity and reduce cognitive load.
Our goal was to design focus as a built-in experience that naturally supports users while they work.
The Process & Research
User Research: Conducted research with real users via the Fable platform and validated workflows with 12 technical users to understand multitasking pain points.
Iterative Testing: Integrated feedback from 50+ early adopters into live Windows updates, refining the interaction model for rapid iteration.
Design Strategy: Explored lightweight interactions, such as soft visual cues and grouped tasks, to reduce context switching.
Design Approach
I explored lightweight interactions integrated into existing Windows surfaces.
Ideas included:
Soft visual cues to help users notice when they drift
Grouping related tasks to reduce context switching
Subtle timing cues to bring users back to their main task
Everything was designed to support focus without being intrusive or restrictive.
The Impact (Key Results)
This project moved beyond concept to impact:
Scale: The feature served 650K+ Monthly Active Users (MAU).
Discoverability: Redesigned entry points increased feature discoverability by 25%.
Efficiency: Validated a 20% improvement in task-switch efficiency, a critical metric for developer productivity.
Outcome
The work helped define early design principles for future focus experiences in Windows.
It influenced how the system can adapt to attention and create calmer, more intentional workflows.
Reflection
Designing for focus taught me that productivity is not just about tools.
It’s about creating space for users to breathe, think, and finish one thing at a time.
Contact for details
Details of this work, including internal systems and prototypes, can’t be shared publicly. But I’d be happy to walk you through more in a one-on-one conversation. 🔐
Contact for details
Details of this work, including internal systems and prototypes, can’t be shared publicly. But I’d be happy to walk you through more in a one-on-one conversation. 🔐
Contact for details
Details of this work, including internal systems and prototypes, can’t be shared publicly. But I’d be happy to walk you through more in a one-on-one conversation. 🔐
