Remote Presence
2020–2021 | Messenger
Explored virtual hangout experiences across Meta — shared cursors, music listening, and synchronous gaming.
Designer Responsibilities
Pitched concept designs for team roadmap reviews and iterated on the end-to-end experience for web and Android. Defined final designs for the initial December launch, operating as lead designer across cross-functional teams between Facebook Gaming and Messenger.
What is Remote Togetherness?
Interviews with 19 people over three weeks revealed that gaming and co-watching are the most natural, rewarding, and engaging ways people stay connected remotely. Video calls have real limits — emotional and physical exhaustion, reduced reward compared to in-person interaction — that discourage regular use. Games create an immersive, shared context that reduces fatigue and makes being apart feel more normal.
Analogy of Game Party
Think of it like a living room: friends gather and someone suggests a board game. Some people decline — they don't know the rules, don't have time, or aren't feeling competitive — but they stay in the room anyway. Those who want to play start, and anyone can join later. New arrivals get the same invitation. This was the mental model: participation optional, presence always welcome.
Rooms, People and Things
After iterating on multiple concepts and aligning stakeholders across Messenger and Facebook, the final approach placed the game board visibly within the video window while keeping video tiles nearby — so players felt co-present even while gaming. The design had to balance optional participation with the feeling of genuinely being together.
Final Design
The end-to-end experience covers creating, joining, ending, and leaving games within Rooms — plus grid logic and reporting. Launched with 9 game titles for beta, reaching global release in April 2023 across iOS, Android, and web.
Other Explorations
Beyond gaming, we explored other ways people could hang out together in Messenger — including shared cursor experiences and a music listening station.