MICROSOFT
Crafting innovative advertisement experiences for the Microsoft product suite.
At Microsoft, I worked with a talented team of designers with the shared goal of creating advertisement design that pushes boundaries and provides valuable experiences to users.
Windows App Install Ads
With over 35 million apps on Windows and the majority sitting outside the Microsoft Store, the platform represented a significant untapped market for in-app advertising across the Windows ecosystem.
For this project, I designed over 200 unique background images spanning 20+ app categories for the Windows App Store. In addition, I assisted in conducting user research to gauge how promotional cards were perceived in context across the Windows experience.
These ads played a central role in achieving a $30 million monetization target in fiscal year 2023.
Building upon this initial success, efforts have been underway to further leverage the effectiveness of these ads by expanding their presence across additional surfaces and platforms.
One notable expansion includes the integration of ads into the new tab page within the Edge browser, capitalizing on prime real estate to deliver targeted and engaging content to users. This strategic placement not only enhances user engagement but also provides advertisers with a valuable opportunity to connect with their target audiences in a contextually relevant manner. Moreover, the inclusion of ads as search engine results in Bing further extends the reach and impact of advertising efforts, tapping into the vast user base of one of the world‘s leading search engines.
Microsoft Cashback in Windows
Microsoft Shopping turns browsing history into personalized cash back offers, creating a monetizable opportunity to surface these deals across Windows as a native widget experience.
For this project, I explored and tested multiple rounds of design to gauge how users perceived the cash back cards as advertisements and assessed the value they provided. Working closely with the development team, I collaborated on running tests using functional versions of the cards. I also created animated marketing materials demonstrating the user flows and interactions of the cash back card experience.
Research-driven iteration across 80+ studies delivered measurable shifts in user perception.
Alongside leading design work, I was responsible for conducting user studies focused on how participants perceived the cash back cards in the context of Windows — specifically how ad-like they felt and how much value they offered. Sampling hundreds of participants across more than 80 individual studies, the findings informed countless iterations and design variations over time, ultimately shifting the experience toward something that felt native to Windows rather than intrusive.
Currently live with 10% of Windows 10 users, the program is already generating over $7,000 in daily revenue with a projected ARR of $30 million at full rollout.
The project is in active development, with designs undergoing ongoing refinement and testing across select markets worldwide. Early results from the limited release are promising, and plans are in place to gradually expand to 100% of Windows 10 users while extending the program to Windows 11. Based on data as of January 2024, full expansion is projected to bring average daily revenue to $80,000, underlining the significant growth potential of the Cash back program within the Windows ecosystem.
Microsoft Watch Algorithmic Video Ads
Transforming static ad elements into dynamic pre-roll animations for native ad placements across the Microsoft Watch feed.
The Microsoft Watch team needed a new native ad placement within the Watch feed, with the core challenge being the conversion of fixed static assets provided by ad partners into dynamically rendered pre-roll animations. I explored a range of animation transitions and treatments to bring these static elements to life, and developed a set of video templates designed to accommodate varying transitions, image counts, and aspect ratios.
Following rollout, the video ads became the dominant placement in the Watch feed, capturing 47% of total sold impressions and contributing to a projected ARR of $5 million.
The ads quickly established themselves as the top performing placement within the Watch feed, accounting for 18.9% of total revenue. Building on this success, work is underway to expand the template range across additional surfaces within the Microsoft Audience Network, giving advertisers a broader set of options to reach their audiences across the platform.
Microsoft Start Mobile App Ads
Collaborating with the Microsoft Start app team to introduce two new high-visibility ad placements within one of Microsoft's most trafficked content surfaces.
Microsoft Start is a news aggregator deeply integrated across the Microsoft product ecosystem, covering everything from top stories and politics to sports and entertainment. Its loyal user base and high traffic volume make it a strong candidate for monetization, with multiple surfaces that parallel the broader Start web experience. Working directly with the Start app design team, I collaborated on the design and development of two new ad placements positioned to maximize visibility within the app.
The gallery ad placement alone is projected to generate $1.2 million in ARR, with consistent performance validated across multiple markets.
The designs proved successful across a range of markets, with the larger gallery placement driving the strongest results. The projected revenue reflects not just the commercial viability of the work, but its ability to connect with Microsoft Start's broad and diverse user base.
Clarity AI Feature Reveal at Pubcon 2023
Creating an animated feature demo for Microsoft Clarity's AI-powered product announcement at Pubcon 2023.
For the keynote unveiling of Clarity's new AI-powered features, the team needed a polished animated demo to bring the announcement to life on stage. Working directly with the keynote speakers, I collaborated on the concept and storyboard before animating and editing the full video demo from start to finish.
Selected Work