Case summary

I led the end-to-end design of emoji reactions in Google Meet - from the first concept through to a full emoji palette expansion, shipped globally across all platforms.

Launching emoji reactions to Google Meet required navigating a complex stakeholder landscape, making critical calls under time pressure, and pivoting late without losing momentum. Through lots of iteration and unusually tight collaboration with PM and engineering, we landed on something that felt just right - a new control in the core UI, emojis delightfully animated to build a feeling of connection with your peers, not driving attention away from the conversation.

What I love about this project is that emoji reactions makes more voices heard, for those who don't want to interrupt the conversation or get the opportunity.

This portfolio case is work in progress and will be finalized during April 2026.