Designing end-to-end translation journeys for Google Lens — creating intuitive, visual interactions that help millions bridge language barriers instantly ✨
ROLE
Lens is a dynamic space at the forefront of Google’s AI innovation. As a team, we're constantly imagining ways we can adapt Google's groundbreaking technology to sincerely benefit our communities.
As a designer in an ever-evolving space, I wear many hats, leading work across multiple product areas. In my time with the team, I've...
1. Designed new translation experiences across the Google App, Translate, & Chrome
2. Evolved the zero-state experience for Translate, simplifying the interface to better balance affordance vs. image
2. Established user flows to secure training data while keeping trust & safety central
3. Elevated the accessibility of our lens + voice search experiences for users of all ages & abilities
APPROACH
A human-centered & somatically inclined designer - curiosity, flexibility & accessibility lie at the heart of my work & working-style. Designing in an ever evolving space with a scrappy team, I must stay nimble, & am always ready to play with the next new idea, tool, or concept!
In a given day, you might catch me brainstorming with my Eng + Product team in Zurich, building prototypes in Figma & Aftereffects, or sharing my latest design work with directors in a meticulous-crafted slide deck.
Support our users in the pursuit of their information needs, including & beyond visual translation. (i.e. technical questions, homework help, message response)
I own design for Lens Translation. Currently, I’m working on a new feature to support deeper, more information-rich translation journeys, bringing this work from concept to implementation across the Lens platforms in the Google App, Translate, Chrome, & web.
I'm the primary designer for Lens Translate, working closely with a PM, an Eng Manager, & a core team of ~6 engineers. Occasionally, I’m joined by other designers when the work calls for additional hands or perspectives.
I’ve led 2 main design initiatives to improve the usability & value of visual search for millions of global users daily.
1) A redesign of our zero-state, simplifying the interface + results flow to maximize visibility & ease of use.
2) A not-yet-public feature enabling our users to access results informed by appropriate context while engaging within their preferred search language [For example, a user translating a bakery menu in Spanish will see 'pan dulce' translated as 'sweet bread', which on the English internet will generate results about an organ meat. Crafting a solution to get them to the right results 🎨✨]
Develop the infrastructure to manage the ‘donated images’ program, in which users can opt-in to share their visual history, supporting the training of Google’s AI.
I was brought into this work after early ideation, carrying the designs from concept through implementation. I later led a second round of design refinement to improve clarity and structure within the experience, bolstering user awareness and confidence.
This was a net-new initiative for Lens, requiring the introduction of new components across three main surfaces, the design of a new icon, and a clarified experience model — defining which parts of the flow are managed from where, and restructuring the underlying information architecture to support that logic.
I collaborated on this work with a core team consisting of a PM, an Eng manager, a Project Manager, & 4 Engineers.
I delivered clear & trustworthy consent flows which support Google’s AI training needs while reducing user drop-off & boosting opt-in adoption across image donation.
Assure that Google Lens is an accessible experience, serving the diverse needs of our 1.5B monthly active users.
I run the design + user experience polish work to ensure Lens [Camera, Translate, History & other related experiences, like Voice Search] meet Google's rigorous accessibility standards.
I work with a range of collaborators, flexing my approach to meet the specific needs of a given team or project. Sometimes I'm being pulled in as an accessibility specialist on an existing project to audit & recommending appropriate adjustments. Most of the time, I'm redesigning problem surfaces within Lens itself, identifying weaknesses & managing the resolution process with Eng collaborators to craft a more accessible experience.
I regularly coordinate with the Search Accessibility Lead & our A11y analysts to ensure the recommendations I make are best practice.
I’ve initiated accessibility improvements across multiple core Lens surfaces (Camera, History, Translate, & Voice Search), ensuring our compliance with Google standards & enhancing usability at a global scale, in service of the ultimate pursuit of a GAR 4 rating. [Google's internal scale for accessibility assesment]