Enhancing the Google Account - Profile Picture Setup

Google Workspace | Account Set up | Shipped 2024

CONTENTS

OVERVIEW

INTRODUCTION

MY ROLE

WHAT I DID?

OPPORTUNITY

A SURPRISING FEEDBACK

RE-EVALUATIONS

FINAL DESIGNS

OUTCOMES & IMPACT

TAKEAWAYS

BONUS BECAUSE YOU STAYED :)

OVERVIEW

Project overview

Every Google Workspace user has gone through the familiar flow changing their profile photo by selecting an illustration, linking to Google Photos, or uploading an image from their device.

But in today’s world, is that enough? With evolving technology and growing AI capabilities, users are looking for more than just a basic picture. They want ways to express their personality through fun avatars, seasonal themes, or even AI-generated images.

It was time for the experience to evolve becoming more modern, expressive, and reflective of who they are.

PRODUCT

Web & Mobile

TIMELINE

Q2 2023 - Q4 2024

TEAM

Kim Hyunsik (Interaction Designer), Hao Zeng (Senior Interaction Designer)

SKILLS

Visual Design, Concept Development, Interactive Prototype

IMPACT

The redesigned profile customization flow shipped globally without any changes, proving the design’s strength at scale while creating a flexible, system-aligned foundation for future expressive features.

INTRODUCTION

Why redesign?

When I joined the project, the existing profile customization experience felt functional but outdated. It covered the basics, but:

  1. It wasn’t scalable enough to support new expressive formats.

  1. The interactions didn’t fully align with Google’s evolving design language.

  1. Users had limited ways to personalize their identity beyond a single photo.

My goal was to redesign the flow into a flexible, future-ready system that balanced user needs for self-expression with Google’s need for system consistency and scalability.

COLLABORATION & RESPONSIBILITIES

My role

I collaborated closely with design leads and flow owners to redesign and modernize the user experience for profile customization.

My role involved enhancing the current flow’s visual appeal, improving layout scalability for future features, and introducing dynamic editing and decoration options.

I also addressed broader design challenges like aligning with Google-wide design patterns, refining interaction clarity, and ensuring reusable, system-consistent components.

I collaborated closely with design leads and flow owners to redesign and modernize the user experience for profile customization.

My role involved enhancing the current flow’s visual appeal, improving layout scalability for future features, and introducing dynamic editing and decoration options.

I also addressed broader design challenges like aligning with Google-wide design patterns, refining interaction clarity, and ensuring reusable, system-consistent components.

IMPACTFUL DECISIONS

What I did?

  • Modernizing the experience, enhancing visual appeal and interaction fluidity

  • Future-proofing layouts, ensuring our design could easily expand to support multi-profile options, birthday messages, and more within one intuitive landing flow

  • Adding fun customization features, like profile picture decorations that let users express themselves during events or just for fun

BEHIND THE PROCESS

Behind the process

  • Collaborated early with cross-functional teams : partnered with design leads, engineers, and product managers to align on goals and constraints before diving into exploration.

Collaborated early with cross-functional teams : partnered with design leads, engineers, and product managers to align on goals and constraints before diving into exploration.

  • Audited the existing flow : studied the current profile setup to identify scalability gaps, outdated UI patterns, and user pain points.

Audited the existing flow : studied the current profile setup to identify scalability gaps, outdated UI patterns, and user pain points.

  • Iterated with feedback loops : tested early design directions with peers and flow owners, refining based on usability insights and engineering feasibility.

Iterated with feedback loops : tested early design directions with peers and flow owners, refining based on usability insights and engineering feasibility.

Dynamic edits are the new additions!

  • Modernizing the experience, enhancing visual appeal and interaction fluidity.

Modernizing the experience, enhancing visual appeal and interaction fluidity.

  • Enhanced the fun customization features, like profile picture decorations that let users express themselves during events or just for fun

Enhanced the fun customization features, like profile picture decorations that let users express themselves during events or just for fun

These are only available for enterprise users at the moment!

  • Future-proofing layouts, ensuring our design could easily expand to support multi-profile options, birthday messages, and more within one intuitive landing flow

Future-proofing layouts, ensuring our design could easily expand to support multi-profile options, birthday messages, and more within one intuitive landing flow

  • Even small details like padding, spacing, and clarity were thoughtfully tuned to make the flow feel cohesive and polished

  • Balanced design systems with creativity : made sure the new layouts and interactions aligned with Google’s Material guidelines while still allowing playful, expressive moments.

Balanced design systems with creativity : made sure the new layouts and interactions aligned with Google’s Material guidelines while still allowing playful, expressive moments.

  • Explored future scenarios : sketched how the flow could adapt to new needs (multi-profile options, AI avatars, seasonal decorations) to ensure the redesign wouldn’t become obsolete in a year.

Explored future scenarios : sketched how the flow could adapt to new needs (multi-profile options, AI avatars, seasonal decorations) to ensure the redesign wouldn’t become obsolete in a year.

Can't share these designs yet :)

Outcomes

"This whole redesign is now live, though you'll need to wait for the additional exciting features. Go ahead and change your profile picture! 😛"

"This whole redesign is now live, though you'll need to wait for the additional exciting features. Go ahead and change your profile picture! 😛"

Impact

  1. The redesign went live unchanged right after the final design review with partner teams, which rarely happens. That's a strong sign of trust and alignment!

  1. Visually and interactively, the experience now feels smarter, cleaner, and more expressive while effortlessly staying within Google product standards

  1. Most importantly, the system is extensible; brands and future updates can lean on this design foundation to deliver richer profile experiences without redesigning everything again