Product Designer, Microsoft Hardware
Hardware interaction design and industrial design of keyboards at Microsoft Hardware. Designed numerous keyboards including the Destination keyboard with programmable "My Favorites" keys, media controls, and innovative shortcut solutions. Led large-scale innovation projects that provided product ideas for 3-5 years into the future.
The Destination keyboard was a flagship Microsoft Hardware product featuring an integrated media control center, programmable "My Favorites" keys, and enhanced function keys for common tasks like Help, Undo, and Redo.
The challenge was balancing powerful functionality with ease of use—adding features without overwhelming users or cluttering the keyboard layout.
Designed the "My Favorites" programmable key system—five dedicated keys that users could assign to their most-used applications, websites, or folders. Combined with the "Show Favorites" key for quick access.
Created detailed specifications for keyboard layout including key placement, icon design, and function mapping. Every key needed clear purpose and discoverability.
Designed icon systems for special function keys that needed to communicate instantly across languages and skill levels. Explored multiple variations to find the clearest visual language.
Led innovation projects exploring future keyboard interactions—how media controls, application shortcuts, and new input paradigms could evolve over the next 3-5 years.
