UX Director, Google Maps • Google • Mountain View, CA • December 2021 - Present
Leading multiple globally-distributed UX teams within the Google Maps organization, also known as Geo. Auto is responsible for: built-in Google Maps; sustainable mobility with eco-routing and features for EVs; Google Maps through Android Auto and Apple Carplay; Auto Data Platform and Auto SDK powering an auto brand’s own in-car experience. Driving is responsible for Google Maps (iOS, Android) Mobile’s flagship experience, driving navigation, including all related aspects of the map, visual & audio guidance, routing, and arrival experiences. Developer enables developers and businesses that want to leverage mapping capabilities through Google Maps Platform, offering a suite of APIs and SDKs that embed Google Maps into web pages, mobile apps, or devices. Sustainability enables analysts, developers, and decision-makers to address the sustainability challenges of climate change with products that include: Google Earth, the premier 3D model of the globe; Earth Engine, Google’s geospatial data and visualization platform; and environmental APIs like air quality and pollen through Google Maps Platform. Waze is the go-to experience for community-powered navigation through the Waze app (iOS, Android) and supported by the Waze Map Editor.
Responsible for leading the UX function for each line of business and influence each portfolio’s strategy, design, development, and ongoing evolution; directly managing design managers and designers to enable their growth, well-being, engagement, and effectiveness. Member of each business’ cross-functional leadership team responsible for day-to-day management and product area leadership. Managing teams located in Haifa, Los Angeles, Mountain View, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Sydney, Tel Aviv, and remotely.
Driving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) as a member of the Asian Leadership Group, executive sponsor of the Filipino Googler Network, and organizational DEI councils.
Board of Advisors • ARK • New York, NY • 2021 - Present
Advising and supporting the team behind ARK, Advancement for Rural Kids, a non-profit that co-invests alongside farmers and fisherfolk in the developing world who want to secure their food, health, income, and a sustainable future.
Board of Trustees • PhilDev • Silicon Valley, CA • April 2020 - Present
Enabling the success of Filipinos globally through education, innovation & entrepreneurship as a board member of PhilDev, a non-profit founded by Dado Banatao, successful entrepreneur, engineer & philanthropist.
Board of Advisors • College of Fine Arts, Carnegie Mellon University • Pittsburgh, PA • January 2019 - Present
Inaugural member of the College of Fine Arts Dean's Council to advise the college Dean and the respective heads of the Schools of Architecture, Art, Design, Drama, and Music to meet the evolving needs of higher education in the arts.
Mentor • Endeavor Philippines • Manila, Philippines • July 2019 - Present
Joined the Endeavor Philippines mentor network to support local entrepreneurs in the country of my birth and be a resource for the broader, global Endeavor network.
Advisor • Kabisig ng Kalahi / Kabisig USA • Manila, Philippines • 2017 - Present
Providing design, technical, operational, and financial support for non-profits helping Filipino families overcome poverty, hunger, malnutrition, and lack of education. Designed, launched, and maintained their websites in 2023, enabling international partnership & support, resulting in a significant increase in financial & operational support.
UX Director, YouTube Ads • Google • San Bruno, CA • August 2017 - November 2021
Started, built, and led the cross-disciplinary UX team whose mission is to create a healthy YouTube ecosystem of viewers, creators, and advertisers, keeping the world's largest online video experience free for billions of users around the world through delightful experiences. Grew and managed a 75+ person international team responsible for design, research, writing, program management, and prototyping for the ~$30B YouTube Ads business, in partnership with Product Management, Engineering, Sales, and Marketing, growing the business 35% YoY over a 5 year period. Managed teams based in Bangalore, Boulder, Los Angeles, Mountain View, San Bruno, and Zurich.
Drove Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) as a member of the Asian Leadership Group, executive sponsor of the Filipino Googler Network, and organizational DEI councils.
Instructor within Google’s UX Design Certificate, teaching the final course in its 7-course Professional Certificate offered through Coursera. This online-only course has enabled thousands of people around the world to learn UX design and pursue new careers.
Adjunct Professor • Carnegie Mellon University Silicon Valley • Mountain View, CA • February 2015 - May 2020
Created and taught a highly-reviewed and sought-after graduate level course in HCI & UX Design in the MS in Software Management program providing a theoretical & practical foundation for future product designers, product managers, and engineering leaders.
Design Director, TV & Website / Growth & Acquisition • Netflix • Los Gatos, CA • February 2015 - June 2017
Led the team of designers & prototypers responsible for the global member user experience on smart TVs, game consoles, set-top boxes, media devices, and web browsers. Primary product design driver for the Netflix custom font. Helped craft Netflix's position on virtual reality, augmented-reality, and voice-enabled experiences.
Led design for cross-platform member acquisition, messaging, and accounts through Netflix’s global expansion to 190 countries and growth from <60M to almost 80M members. Responsibilities included driving product design initiatives, creative direction, organizational development, team management, and strategic leadership.
Vice President, Advanced User Experience Design • Mercedes-Benz R&D North America • Sunnyvale, CA • January 2013 - January 2015
Founding leader of the Silicon Valley-based team responsible for designing & prototyping the future digital user experience for Mercedes-Benz automobiles globally. Creative direction and management of multiple teams responsible for defining the digital design language and interfaces for future production cars, concepts, and connected products. Full operational & financial responsibilities as an Executive Management team member driving initiatives for employee happiness, hiring & development, management, and communications.
Director of Product, Zynga Mobile Platform • Zynga • San Francisco, CA • March 2011 - December 2012
Founder, product, and UX lead of the Zynga Mobile Social Channels team, the social game service for the company’s mobile game portfolio to drive viral discoverability and social engagement. Responsible for Chess With Friends, a popular turn-based mobile app, to test our platform. Drove day-to-day operations and grew it into a 30+ person product development team.
Principal Executive Producer, Pioneer Studios • Xbox/Microsoft • Redmond, WA • January 2008 - March 2011
Founding member of an internal design studio responsible for discovering and defining new product opportunities for Microsoft’s entertainment business. Led cross-disciplinary teams of up to 20 and budgets of up to $2.5M to design and prototype product concepts that visualize the future of the Xbox product & brand. Work directly led or contributed to Xbox 360 platform updates, Xbox Live Studios, Xbox Live on Windows Phone 7, Xbox SmartGlass, and Xbox One.
Director of User Experience • Pelago • Seattle, WA • May 2007 - January 2008
Launched Whrrl, a geo-social network for discovering and sharing activities via web & mobile. Hands-on design & research to go from concept to product within 6 months as a KPCB/Trilogy/Bezos funded startup. Built a team of three responsible for UX/UI design & research.
User Experience Manager, Xbox 360 • Microsoft • Redmond, WA • March 2004 - May 2007
Launched the groundbreaking Xbox 360 console, industry-leading Xbox Live service, and the Zune player. Hands-on leadership for interaction design, information architecture, HW/SW integration, out-of-box experience, and multiple feature areas. Built & led a team of 9 designers, prototypers, and program managers. Created roles, best-practices, and processes to enable world-class design.
Lead Game Designer, FASA Studio • Microsoft Game Studios • Redmond, WA • January 2000 - February 2004
Multiplayer & UI design lead for Crimson Skies II: High Road to Revenge, AIAS action-adventure GOTY for Xbox (89.6% Gamerankings). Designed/scripted all multiplayer games & maps. Designer/producer on A.I. “The Beast”, the first alternate reality game (ARG) named New York Times’ “Best Idea of the Year”. User interface design lead for MechWarrior 4: Vengeance, the definitive big-robot action game (86% Gamerankings). Hands-on lead of 6 for UI design and scripting.
User Interface Program Manager, SQL Server • Microsoft • Redmond, WA • September 1998 - December 1999
Drove UI design and usability activities for SQL Server 7.0 OLAP, Microsoft’s first integrated business intelligence & data warehousing product. Delivered feature specs, prototypes, assets, and oversaw user research & usability.
User Interface Designer, UI Design & Usability Group • Oracle • Redwood Shores, CA • August 1996 - September 1998
Lead designer for the corporate style guide for Java-based products and several enterprise product lines. Designed product user interfaces, wireframes, icons, prototypes, and final art assets.
Graphic Designer • IBM • San Jose, CA • July 1995 - August 1996
Created graphics, illustrations, packaging, interactive tutorials, and websites for the DSS/DB2 Visualizer product line. Early driver of corporate web design standards and best practices.
Shipped Products & Services
Google Maps: Google Maps built-in, Google Earth • Earth Engine • Environmental Insights Explorer • Delve • Mesa • Pebble
YouTube Ads: Google Ads for Video • YouTube/Video Ad Formats • YouTube Director Mix • Google Ads Reach Planner
Netflix: Netflix on TV devices • Netflix.com • Netflix Sign Up
Mercedes-Benz: F015 “Luxury In Motion” • Concept S-Class Coupé • Smart Cross Connect • Comand APS NTG 5.5/6.0
Zynga: Zynga With Friends Mobile Network • Chess With Friends
Pelago: Whrrl.com & Whrrl Mobile
Microsoft: Xbox One (pre-production concept) • Zune Media Player • Xbox Live Service • Xbox 360 Console & Accessories • Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge • A.I. “The Beast” Alternate Reality Game • MechWarrior IV: Vengeance • MS SQL Server 2000 & 7.0
Oracle: Oracle Java Look & Feel • Oracle Enterprise Manager/Internet Commerce/Application Server
IBM: IBM DSS/DB2 Visualizer
Patents & Applications
Social Network Data Analysis To Generate Incentives For Online Gaming, Zynga, U.S. Patent US11654370B2
User Mounted Device Calibration Using External Data, Microsoft, U.S. Patent 9,588,935
Integrated Haptic Control Apparatus and Touch Sensitive Display, Microsoft, U.S. Patent 8,698,750
Customizing Streaming Content Presentation, Microsoft, U.S. Patent 8,667,533
Method and device for storing and providing game-related and user-related information in a profile for a gaming service, Microsoft, European Patent 1669117B1
User Interface for Viewing Aggregated Game, System, and Personal Information, Microsoft, U.S. Patent 8,425,331
Image for a Portion of a Display Screen, Microsoft, U.S. Patent D566,717
User Interface for a Portion of a Display Screen, Microsoft, U.S. Patents D565,583, D565,582, D565,581
Icon for a Portion of Display Screen, Microsoft, U.S. Patents D565,592 & D562,845
Portion of a Display Screen With an Icon, Microsoft, U.S. Patent D562,844
Social Network Data Analysis To Generate Suggestion Metrics For Online Gaming, Zynga, U.S. Patent Application 20140004953
Social Network Data Analysis To Generate Provide News For Online Gaming, Zynga, U.S. Patent Application 20140004954
Systems and Methods for Providing System Level Notifications in a Multimedia Console, U.S. Patent Application 20060205518
Systems and Methods for Providing a System Level User Interface in a Multimedia Console, U.S. Patent Application 20060205517
Provision of Contextual Advertising, Microsoft, U.S. Patent Application 20120158511
Sophisticated Sort Mechanisms on a Limited Interface, Microsoft, U.S. Patent Application 20080163133
Browse Filters on a Television Interface, Microsoft, U.S. Patent Application 20080163284
Customizing Streaming Content Presentation, Microsoft, U.S. Patent Application 20110265113
Education
MBA Design Strategy (incomplete) • California College of the Arts • San Francisco, CA • 2012
First semester: MBA in Design Strategy
Certificate in Human Factors Engineering • University of Michigan • Ann Arbor, MI • 1997
BFA Art & Design • Carnegie Mellon University • Pittsburgh, PA • 1991 - 1995
Majors: Painting, Drawing, Printmaking (PDP); Electronic & Time-Based media (ETB)
Minors: Visual Communications; Art History; Chinese Studies
Semester Abroad • Zhejiang University • Hangzhou, Zhejiang • 1994
Languages
English: fluent speaking, reading & writing
Tagalog/Pilipino: fluent speaking; conversational reading & writing
Spanish: conversational speaking; basic reading & writing
German: rudimentary speaking, reading & writing
Mandarin Chinese: rudimentary speaking
References available upon request or on LinkedIn