MICROSOFT CASUAL GAMES
PRODUCT SPACE
Context
The Microsoft Casual Games team sought to expand its gaming ecosystem by enhancing digital engagement across Windows OS, Edge browser, and MSN (Microsoft Start). The goal was to create a seamless end-to-end experience beyond native Windows games and app store downloads.
Expanding the User Journey
Our approach focused on integrating casual games into multiple canvases, including:
Windows 10/11 content flyout
New Edge browser feature “Shoreline (sidebar)”
Microsoft Start.com (New MSN) landing experience
Casual games on Bing search and anwsers
My Role
I led the design process for the Microsoft Casual Games experience across Edge browser, MSN (Start.com), and Windows flyout interfaces, driving large-scale cross-functional collaborations with PMs, marketers, researchers, and engineers across multiple regions.
Teams
MSN Gaming Engineering Team & Leads (US & China)
MSN Gaming PMs
Casual Gaming SME (ex-Meta)
Design Researchers
Partners
Microsoft Casual Games Org
Edge Browser Feature Team
Bing Search Team
Accessibility Support
MSN Design System Org
The Journey
The initiative began with a request from Microsoft Casual Games (MCG) to test user engagement via the Windows 10 flyout. Collaborating with the Windows design system team, I led multiple rounds of ideation to refine the experience.
Win10 flyout concept
Windows 10 flyout exp as of today
With the launch of Edge’s sidebar feature, we introduced a Casual Games Hub inside the browser, providing an entertaining, accessible experience for users. Today, every Edge user can explore a wide variety of casual games, from Microsoft first-party titles to third-party offerings. Let’s take a look at our feature demo showcase from the Xbox WNFG (What’s Next for Gaming) event this year ↓
To expand the user journey, we leveraged Bing search, MSN legacy site, and Microsoft Start.com, necessitating the creation of a new landing destination for gameplay and discovery, a pivotal piece connecting the entire experience.
After multiple rounds of user research, competitive analysis, iterative design, and testing, the Casual Games Landing Experience successfully launched on Microsoft Start.com, bringing a fully responsive and accessibility-friendly design.
