Xbox Music

Overview

I was part of a small team tasked with designing a responsive web music player to support the Microsoft Music application on non-Windows platforms. I established the design foundation, created end-to-end wireframes, and contributed to visual design. After the MVP launch, I took on the role of design lead, analyzing user data and research insights to drive product improvements.

A key challenge was adapting the Windows Music App to the web. While the Windows version featured unique interaction patterns, I recognized these wouldn’t translate naturally to a web environment. I proposed alternative solutions, advocating for a design direction that prioritized intuitive web interactions over mirroring the existing app visuals. Leadership approved this approach following successful qualitative research. Once implemented, the new design received positive feedback from both users and the press, leading to its adoption in the Windows Music Application as well.

Key responsibilities

• Designed the web music player interface
• Created new content discovery features
• Designed playlist management system

Impact

The Xbox Music web player redefined the Microsoft Music experience:

• Successfully launched responsive web player reaching millions of non-Windows users
• Design patterns were adopted by the Windows Music Application
• Created intuitive web-first interaction model for music playback
• Streamlined content discovery and playlist management