In 2020, I redesigned the Uber Eats menu management tool.

Among the tools Uber Eats provides to merchants, our menu management tool is one of my most frequently used - but it's also likely the most complex.

Menus between merchants can vary widely - from a local Chinese spot with 150 dishes to a poke bowl shop that offers a few items with lots of customization.

To support all these types of menus, our system has a a powerful back-end structure of entities that can be connected to one another to create a menu.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2F01wV7WvYDJiaFGdXIaRf%2Fd2a146dd-8b90-45cf-87c8-01e67ecf842c.png?alt=media&token=b5593b82-90cd-4e12-9869-c9d8245bc4f2","id":"d2a146dd-8b90-45cf-87c8-01e67ecf842c","width":1000,"height":800,"filename":"Frame 1.png","type":"image/png","caption":"","border":false}]}
```

A powerful, unique capability of Uber's system is that entities can be reused across different configurations.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2F01wV7WvYDJiaFGdXIaRf%2F6771e561-6ed4-4bd3-91a1-050e8bf6d9d2.png?alt=media&token=cbdf6de0-eb66-42c6-b8b8-ce14b538d86b","id":"6771e561-6ed4-4bd3-91a1-050e8bf6d9d2","width":1000,"height":800,"filename":"Frame 2.png","type":"image/png","caption":"An item can be featured in multiple categories","border":false},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2F01wV7WvYDJiaFGdXIaRf%2Fac236381-7779-487a-a252-87714077df69.png?alt=media&token=65ae248f-e46d-4229-9ef0-99ebdeffe538","id":"ac236381-7779-487a-a252-87714077df69","width":1000,"height":800,"filename":"Frame 4.png","type":"image/png","caption":"A modifier group (customization) can be reused across multiple items","border":false},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2F01wV7WvYDJiaFGdXIaRf%2F6bfe3fa8-32de-4d7d-9a90-598fa6113fa5.png?alt=media&token=07803e82-7c97-491a-8413-00759f606f88","id":"6bfe3fa8-32de-4d7d-9a90-598fa6113fa5","width":1000,"height":800,"filename":"Frame 3.png","type":"image/png","caption":"An item can even be used as a modifier option within a combo item","border":false}]}
```

While powerful, this structure isn't necessarily intuitive. The prior version of the tool echoed this back-end entity structure in the front-end. Each type of entity had to be set up on its own database-like screen and then attached to other entities to form a menu.

We heard from merchants that the tool was confusing and inefficient.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2F01wV7WvYDJiaFGdXIaRf%2F1e9d922a-510a-4559-b836-c54ca6db5825.png?alt=media&token=eae04c94-5ad1-44e9-b12d-066388481e68","id":"1e9d922a-510a-4559-b836-c54ca6db5825","width":2560,"height":1692,"filename":"Items.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Prior version: Entities were listed in a tabular format without hierarchy","border":true},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2F01wV7WvYDJiaFGdXIaRf%2Fb3d861aa-3809-43fc-879b-9ce1935913ea.png?alt=media&token=f73d6e4d-8700-415d-bf9d-64c03d519bc5","id":"b3d861aa-3809-43fc-879b-9ce1935913ea","width":2560,"height":1692,"filename":"Item Detail - Before differing.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Prior version: Common actions like editing an item required navigating between different pages","border":true}]}
```

I explored a variety of alternative layouts that could enable more efficient editing. We recognized a trade-off between efficiency and clarity.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2F01wV7WvYDJiaFGdXIaRf%2Fa0d766e0-5556-4fe5-867e-ad26c0a96b35.png?alt=media&token=aff2f891-bd81-4de4-954d-340235992475","id":"a0d766e0-5556-4fe5-867e-ad26c0a96b35","width":2560,"height":1784,"filename":"Restaurant Manager-3.png","type":"image/png","caption":"A table format optimized for efficiency","border":true},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2F01wV7WvYDJiaFGdXIaRf%2Fdc08c96e-8576-42de-9363-6fb3f4baec98.png?alt=media&token=ade5b921-6e8b-4e4d-adc4-3b05cfecf1c0","id":"dc08c96e-8576-42de-9363-6fb3f4baec98","width":2560,"height":1784,"filename":"Restaurant Manager-1.png","type":"image/png","caption":"A card format optimized for resemblance to the consumer menu experience","border":true},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2F01wV7WvYDJiaFGdXIaRf%2F497ae01e-eeda-42ad-bd05-766748ff96df.png?alt=media&token=3dd0ca41-c2ec-421f-a8a7-398762a29eb6","id":"497ae01e-eeda-42ad-bd05-766748ff96df","width":2560,"height":1784,"filename":"Restaurant Manager.png","type":"image/png","caption":"An inline expansion format","border":true},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2F01wV7WvYDJiaFGdXIaRf%2Fa13405b9-1812-4bbf-9f3a-46f7b300ecf2.png?alt=media&token=562ad321-a1a0-4017-9b72-a242850342ec","id":"a13405b9-1812-4bbf-9f3a-46f7b300ecf2","width":2560,"height":1784,"filename":"Restaurant Manager-2.png","type":"image/png","caption":"A side panel format - which we ultimated moved forward with","border":true}]}
```

Through research and iteration, we landed on the side panel format that we moved forward with:

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2F01wV7WvYDJiaFGdXIaRf%2F022589af-66b3-4c12-936d-7b330bc14830.png?alt=media&token=b0104e41-d8f2-4fb1-ae23-2800911895d2","id":"022589af-66b3-4c12-936d-7b330bc14830","width":2560,"height":1784,"filename":"ubereats-mm.png","type":"image/png","caption":"","border":true}]}
```

Menu Maker

2020 to 2021 was the most challenging yet formative period of my career. I led the Uber Eats Merchant team through crisis, all while learning how to be a manager for the first time.

### A moment of crisis

In April 2020, I joined Uber Eats from Google as an individual contributor, looking to learn new skills and move faster. And I did, but in ways I hadn't at all expected. The Covid pandemic was just starting to affect tech companies, but no one had any idea what we were dealing with yet.

I was told that I'd have to wait a couple weeks to meet my new coworkers in person. Those couple weeks became a year.

From there, things only escalated. A month into my tenure, in response to the changing market, Uber announced [layoffs and shut down longer term efforts](https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/18/21262337/uber-layoff-3000-employees-covid-19-coronavirus). The layoffs majorly affected the design team, including our head of design.

The pandemic caused Uber's market demand to shift abruptly from rides to food delivery. But the Uber Eats business was still not profitable. The remaining Eats team was asked to halt long-term efforts in favor of urgent business optimizations. Sensible, but ultimately creatively frustrating.

With morale at a low, much of the design team left the company in the following months. In the fall, each of the Uber Eats design managers left in quick succession.

It was at this moment that I was asked to step in and manage the Merchant team. I said yes. The team needed a leader with some continuity, and who was I to turn down a good personal challenge?

### The personal challenge

Well, it was suddenly on me to keep the team afloat, and I had no idea how.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2F0xPRM2pRVsym0rxCRn4K%2F8fb8bb57-16f3-4c3d-87ef-4de71997c009.png?alt=media&token=22f86d36-1913-4890-82f5-b96a0cc7e4e9","id":"8fb8bb57-16f3-4c3d-87ef-4de71997c009","width":1336,"height":520,"filename":"Frame 3.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Actual slide from telling this story internally in 2021","border":true}]}
```

As an introverted, typically fairly independent designer, I wrestled with a lot of self-doubt about whether I was fit to lead people. It was reassuring to realize that my motivation was right: I care deeply about people and their careers.

But even caring that much made things tricky. Bad product decisions can be easily iterated upon, but bad management can disorient real people's careers. It was paralyzing.

I didn't have much mentorship from within the organization, so I ate up whatever books and podcasts I could find. And then, eventually, I got over my risk aversion and tried a lot of things. Some worked, some didn't, but I learned from them all.

Over time, I figured out how to best lead the team and I learned to love it.

### Troubleshooting

The team had a lot of concerns. Figuring out where to focus my energy was a little like product development: user research and prioritization. I spent lots of time listening to the team about their concerns, both individually and as a group.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2F0xPRM2pRVsym0rxCRn4K%2Faf519a26-ec4e-4de8-8967-9bca64ca968c.png?alt=media&token=5d12c2e7-a078-4342-b052-47dbebfbffa9","id":"af519a26-ec4e-4de8-8967-9bca64ca968c","width":2437,"height":1085,"filename":"Group 1.png","type":"image/png","caption":"We ran a retrospective on our processes and output","border":false}]}
```

Some recurring themes emerged: staffing, belonging, pride, and recognition.

These themes gave me focus in these initial crisis months and continued to influence my work throughout my two years managing the team.

### Staffing

**The issue:** The team was critically understaffed. The team had been 10 when I had joined in April, but by the time I inherited the team, we were down to 4.

My approach here was twofold.

* **Hiring:** I jumped head-first into the hiring process. The recruiting team was even more understaffed that our team, so I did whatever I could to accelerate the process. I created our [read.cv team page](https://read.cv/teams/ubereats.design) to widen our sourcing funnel. I took on the initial portfolio screens that recruiters typically do. I wrote talking points for conversations with candidates. I created guidelines on evaluation for interviewers. Working this way, I relatively quickly scaled the team to a healthier size of 7.

* **Workload management:** While we addressed hiring, I set expectations with product managers that we wouldn't be able to support all the work they'd planned. I provided guidance to designers around how they could "own their time": determining the relative priority of their projects and communicating their needs to their collaborators.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2F0xPRM2pRVsym0rxCRn4K%2F5f1c35ca-761f-4e13-8291-439e7710cee5.png?alt=media&token=f094579a-d97f-4192-b019-b46a51725400","id":"5f1c35ca-761f-4e13-8291-439e7710cee5","width":1200,"height":956,"filename":"FcPwY4gWYAIwD20.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Guidance on prioritizing projects in moments of scarce resourcing","border":false}]}
```

### Belonging

**The issue:** With each designer supporting a different part of our product portfolio, they didn't know what one another was working on. And as new designers joined the team, they didn't know one another as people, either.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2F0xPRM2pRVsym0rxCRn4K%2Fad3da7b2-80d6-425d-a9bd-13fbbb8f55ca.png?alt=media&token=5d065d8a-171f-459b-9372-7364208508e1","id":"ad3da7b2-80d6-425d-a9bd-13fbbb8f55ca","width":980,"height":800,"filename":"Frame 4.png","type":"image/png","caption":"We created personal \"user manuals\" to share our working preferences. This one is mine.","border":true},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2F0xPRM2pRVsym0rxCRn4K%2Fdcfe42fd-cdfe-46b9-838f-cf1274b06e49.png?alt=media&token=b5768542-b60f-411c-b0b6-a78c3de4e531","id":"dcfe42fd-cdfe-46b9-838f-cf1274b06e49","width":1440,"height":1440,"filename":"Our team.png","type":"image/png","caption":"We plotted our skills to understand how we could learn from one another","border":true}]}
```

* Early on, I ran a little "virtual offsite" that established a space of trust and vulnerability: sharing about our skills, preferred ways of working, and personal backgrounds.

* To combat the transactional nature of remote work, I started up a social hour every Friday for the team to play games and chat about the weekend. Once we were able to return to the office, this evolved into coordinated in-office days and lunches.

* I evolved our critique format to include both lightweight sharing for visibility and deeper discussions.

* As the team grew to a more sustainable size, I found opportunities to allocate multiple designers to larger projects: not just to make the work better, but to encourage learning from each other.

### Pride

**The issue:** Because of the company's focus on business optimizations, the team was having to ship pared down MVPs that they weren't proud of. With each team of product managers and engineers focused on a specific part of the project, only the design team was noticing inconsistencies in the product.

* On the most important projects, I upheld a high quality bar, providing direct and detailed feedback.

* I influenced the Merchant org to make time for cross-platform initiatives, such as a redesign of our navigation.

* I started a little design systems squad to standardize our patterns. While we didn't have the resourcing for a dedicated team, I identified designers who were eager to carve out time for this sort of work.

### Recognition

**The issue:** The team felt overlooked within the company - that the company wasn't paying attention to the Merchant org and the Merchant org wasn't paying attention to design.

* In conversation with the rest of the Merchant org leaders, I identified areas where the design team could provide unique proactive value to the org. This culminated in me leading a design sprint to identify a 3-year vision for our product suite

* I took every opportunity presented to raise awareness within the company about the Merchant org - such as speaking about our work at a company all hands about our users' pain points and our solutions. My advocacy, along with others', contributed to raising the visibility of merchants among the Uber's top leadership.

```cv
tweet
https://twitter.com/jjtan87/status/1465772801097449481
```

### Conclusion

The Merchant Design team weathered some very challenging times together through mutual support, adaptability, and above-and-beyond ownership. We came out the other side healthier, tight-knit, and high performing. I'm immensely proud of the team.

For me, it was a crash course in leadership that made me into the person I am now - emphasizing autonomy, ownership, gratitude, and support.

Rebuilding the Merchant Design team

Chrome Home was an ambitious redesign of mobile Chrome's main UI. It brought Chrome's toolbar to the bottom of the screen and turned it into a peeking panel that could be swiped to expose additional controls.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2F1R6eDCnOEDMDlRjMDbq8%2F8c222469-03f0-4d4a-983d-89fd5bde92d6.mp4?alt=media&token=4ea49ab2-73e9-485b-80ec-0311bf051ae7","id":"8c222469-03f0-4d4a-983d-89fd5bde92d6","width":720,"height":1280,"filename":"chrome-ia-1.mp4","type":"video/mp4","caption":"","border":true}]}
```

I created the original concept and pitch for Chrome Home in 2016. It was based off two insights:

1. Phones were growing in size, and we had opportunity to innovate in creating a gestural, spatial interface that would still be usable with one hand.

2. Mobile Chrome was also growing in features - but because its minimalist interface kept everything behind a "three dot" menu, these features were underutilized and hard to access.

The idea caught traction internally, eventually becoming a Chrome org priority. I then led a team to execute and iterate on the concept. Executing on Chrome Home required rethinking not just the toolbar, but almost all of Chrome's UI: search, bookmarks, tabs, prompts, etc. To inform our decisions, we used a variety of prototyping and testing approaches of increasing fidelity. Ultimately, such a fundamental change to a web browser required nothing short of building it into the product and testing it in longitudinal studies and live beta experiments.

We heard a mixture of reactions. The feature gained a cult following among the tech community, but for many mainstream users, the change felt disorienting. Chrome serves billions of users around the globe with varying tech literacy. Over the course of many iterations, I became increasingly convinced that launching Chrome Home would not serve all our users well.

So just as I strongly as I had pitched the original concept, I advocated for us to stop the launch - which took not a small amount of debate.

Chrome Home lives on as a lesson for both myself and the whole Chrome team about the intentionality needed to innovate within a product of massive scale. Some might argue that we never should have tried such a thing; others might say that we should've seen it through. The approach I took here is one I stand by: try boldly, but be willing to listen to users and question yourself.

Oh, and [Safari in iOS 15](https://9to5mac.com/2021/06/07/how-safari-in-ios-15-works/) picked up some similar ideas and criticisms.

Chrome Home

Near the end of my time at Google, I focused on complex browsing tasks, including information work, comparison shopping, and trip planning. What emerged was tab groups.

### Mobile

For most people, mobile browsers serve limited use cases. We do quick tasks on the go, but wait for our desktops for anything particularly complicated. I led an effort to question this assumption: to research what makes complex tasks hard to perform on mobile devices, and then to see how far we can push them.

We observed common elements that make tasks complex: the necessity of assembling and comparing multiple pages, and then saving those pages across a longer time period. After a variety of more experimental prototypes, I conceived of our chosen solution: tab groups.

Our particular approach to tab groups involves a hierarchical tab switcher and a group-scoped tab strip.

Featured on [Google's company blog](https://blog.google/products/chrome/get-more-done-with-google-chrome/).

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2FPPoLD86t9Qf5xiswPhzv%2F684b8eb6-d825-4d82-803d-cfb391e81bb7.mp4?alt=media&token=37e4ec5e-6c4f-431b-b678-3a1005bcba51","id":"684b8eb6-d825-4d82-803d-cfb391e81bb7","width":360,"height":640,"filename":"chrome-tg-1.mp4","type":"video/mp4","caption":" Tab groups help you organize longer running, multiple page tasks","border":true},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2FPPoLD86t9Qf5xiswPhzv%2Fa76a1fd7-4bb5-4959-8228-dbd5d492f5e4.mp4?alt=media&token=efdb0298-cc7f-4679-9d7b-a492047df323","id":"a76a1fd7-4bb5-4959-8228-dbd5d492f5e4","width":720,"height":1280,"filename":"chrome-tg-2.mp4","type":"video/mp4","caption":"Once you group tabs, you can compare them in just a tap","border":true}]}
```

### Desktop

On desktop, multi-session, complex tasks are more common and assumed. Tab groups would help people identify tabs within active tasks quicker and ignore those tabs that represent inactive tasks. The challenge here was to introduce this functionality in a way that's additive while not complicating everyday tab management.

Prior designers working on this before me made the interaction design decision to extend the existing tab strip rather than create a secondary panel. I think this is wise: it minimizes new concepts users have to learn.

I  defined the final UI: a colored tag and underline. This was complicated for a few reasons:

1. For our target users, this UI would be visible on screen almost all day while they worked, browsed the internet, or screen shared. It needed to not be distracting.

2. At the same time, it needed to be visible enough to help identify the location of tabs at a glance - one of the key value props of tab groups.

3. The UI needed to have clear contrast against the myriad of styles the Chrome toolbar can have: customizable colors, image backgrounds, dark mode, etc.

We iterated on all sorts of shapes for the indicate. The underline solution I defined is subtle yet visible, and echoes the shape of both Chrome's tabs and Google's Material Design tabs.

The colored underline solution also uses only one color, making it easier to ensure appropriate contrast with text and toolbar. We explored various dynamic color palettes, and in the end, I defined a color palette based on Google's Material colors, with two variants for light and dark backgrounds.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2FPPoLD86t9Qf5xiswPhzv%2F77d9e7bc-b2ca-42e7-ac5a-37b19e0cd9fb.gif?alt=media&token=2c3503f4-2437-4017-b404-39c8b837a87e","id":"77d9e7bc-b2ca-42e7-ac5a-37b19e0cd9fb","width":1000,"height":550,"filename":"chrome-dtg.gif","type":"image/gif","caption":"","border":true}]}
```

Featured on [Google's company blog](https://blog.google/products/chrome/manage-tabs-with-google-chrome/).

Tab groups

Uber Eats Manager is the web dashboard that merchants use to manage their presence on Uber Eats. I stewarded its steady evolution over 2 years.

**All of the hands-on work below was done by the small but amazing team of designers I managed.**

My role was:

* Advocating for designers' good ideas

* Being a thought partner in discovering better ideas

* Upholding quality through design reviews

* Coaching designers on presenting and decision-making

* Catalyzing platform efforts around navigation and design systems

* Connecting the dots between projects to ensure a cohesive platform

A glimpse of some of my favorite improvements we made:

## Onboarding

The first couple months on the platform are a sensitive time in which our users are learning about our product and evaluating if it's meeting their expectations.

It used to be that when a merchant joined Uber Eats, we'd greet them with a bunch of empty charts.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2FumzgS76rXF5JejXEuEWr%2Fc594d73e-2f9e-43c8-ae10-1a0298267e30.png?alt=media&token=65b94b67-9811-413b-b1bf-b0c18be5b8b6","id":"c594d73e-2f9e-43c8-ae10-1a0298267e30","width":2560,"height":2400,"filename":"Single-Loc Home.png","type":"image/png","caption":"","border":true}]}
```

We created a brand new first-time experience with visibility of important setup steps which previously were only communicated through emails and support interactions.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2FumzgS76rXF5JejXEuEWr%2F97696a95-a318-416d-b5a3-5d3898445414.png?alt=media&token=fc4a1cbf-39cb-426e-b7c3-32868897c749","id":"97696a95-a318-416d-b5a3-5d3898445414","width":2560,"height":2400,"filename":"Large.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Designers: Lauren Wang, Sharon Yu, Diana Arteaga","border":true}]}
```

We created a tooltip system for guiding new users through key features.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2FumzgS76rXF5JejXEuEWr%2Fdd4df15b-6cbd-4387-b935-c87824692db7.png?alt=media&token=4a02c397-c0dc-4f82-bc26-b1dbd2dca37b","id":"dd4df15b-6cbd-4387-b935-c87824692db7","width":2560,"height":2400,"filename":"Frame 94542.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Designers: Sharon Yu, Diana Arteaga","border":true}]}
```

## Core experience

The product's navigation used to be a flat list, which didn't scale as functionality grew to 17 pages. Organizationally, there was no single owner of platform-wide UI like the navigation.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2FumzgS76rXF5JejXEuEWr%2F64375f84-15ea-438c-a839-468782aaa11a.png?alt=media&token=8335402c-e756-4958-9704-88e108872f23","id":"64375f84-15ea-438c-a839-468782aaa11a","width":2560,"height":2400,"filename":"Single-Loc Home.png","type":"image/png","caption":"","border":true}]}
```

Within the design team, I started a working group to own the platform. We restructured the navigation to a group hierarchy, informed by research on users' mental models.

On the home page, we overhauled our approach to analytics - contextualizing ratings through comparisons to similar merchants and introducing personalized recommended actions.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2FumzgS76rXF5JejXEuEWr%2F75ec814b-bb22-45fb-82ae-1852aed4f421.png?alt=media&token=bf51aaac-bf58-420b-845c-27224990093d","id":"75ec814b-bb22-45fb-82ae-1852aed4f421","width":2560,"height":2400,"filename":"Frame 93416.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Designers: Leslie Luo, Sharon Yu, Constance Cerf","border":true}]}
```

## Payments

Naturally, one of the most important needs for our users is understanding their earnings. We aimed to drive transparency and control.

We introduced a much more granular breakdown of payments and fees.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2FumzgS76rXF5JejXEuEWr%2F29d726be-c05f-4e97-b642-0ff41b273eae.png?alt=media&token=aba821b6-434a-49bf-9772-d9832d308725","id":"29d726be-c05f-4e97-b642-0ff41b273eae","width":2560,"height":2400,"filename":"Payments 2.0.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Designers: Juan Ayala, Constance Cerf","border":true}]}
```

We introduced an in-product flow for disputing inaccurate charges for missing items, etc. - which previously required calling support.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FNV3Dn6tZccTNDYiUu02GtNnJDor2%2FumzgS76rXF5JejXEuEWr%2Fd87c4bbc-975a-43ef-b5c6-1b536d25f9a4.png?alt=media&token=a57c4b77-6bec-46db-8146-6a2d0c9e85a8","id":"d87c4bbc-975a-43ef-b5c6-1b536d25f9a4","width":2560,"height":2400,"filename":"Orders.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Designers: Sharon Yu, Constance Cerf","border":true}]}
```

Uber Eats Manager

Catchup—a simple app to help you stay in touch with friends and family—is now available on the App Store. 

Set intentions for how often you'll connect. Then tap Check In every time you do.

https://getcatchup.app

Product designer

Interdisciplinary studies in design, user research, programming, and theoretical computer science.

Catchup is a simple app for reminding yourself to check in with friends and loved ones

Replays

Rebuilding the Merchant Team

Sprig AI

A simple app to help you stay in touch with friends and family

Catchup

Read the Bible with an AI partner to answer your questions

Illuminate

AI and Product

Prototype testing for best in class product development

Testing early, often, and with the right users

While at Google, participated in a design sprint that generated the initial version of AfriScout, an Android app that helps pastoralists locate pasture.

AfriScout

Designer

Consulted for Abide, a leading meditation app for Christians.

While at Google, designed a data visualization of post-earthquake Nepal for the Nepalese government.

Led a team of 7 in designing everything merchants use to run their businesses on Uber Eats: signup, order fulfillment, analytics, menu management, customer relationships, and more.

- Stabilized team through organizational instability and rebuilt a kind, collaborative, and productive culture
- Coached designers in topics including product shaping and influence, analytical thinking, presenting work, design craft, and people management
- Catalyzed new initiatives in information architecture, user education, and design systems
- Led cross-functional design sprint to develop an ambitious yet practical 3 year product vision
- As an IC, redesigned the merchant menu management tool, simplifying a complex, database-like interface

Senior Design Manager

Designer for menus across both merchant and consumer surfaces.
- Redesigned the merchant menu management tool, simplifying a complex, database-like interface
- Modularized how items are displayed in the consumer app, enabling Uber Eats's expansion into groceries, retail, and more

Senior Product Designer II

- Leading the product design and brand design functions
- Leading product and design for Sprig's AI initiatives

Head of Design

Part of the team from ~5 designers to dozens. Drove innovation and risk-taking within a product of 2 billion+ users.
- Conceived, pitched, and led design for several of Chrome's big bets: tab groups, mobile reachability, and other unreleased projects
- Designer behind one of the highest velocity experimental teams within Chrome, focused on mobile productivity and e-commerce
- Design lead for the Android browser, mentoring designers and stewarding quality and consistency
- Worked with Chrome leadership in planning strategic focus areas

Chris Lee

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