Understanding the User

We focused on two primary personas: Aspiring Gamers (casual or new players exploring whether their PC can support gaming), and Passionate Gamers (hardcore gamers, crave customization, often prefer using a controller). Through user research, we uncovered key friction points across the gaming journey on Windows. Players using controllers lacked a simple, intuitive way to launch games, often relying on a keyboard and mouse just to get started. Many felt frustrated by the need to toggle between multiple game launchers like Xbox, Steam, and EA. Cloud gaming, while designed for controller use, felt disconnected from the overall experience. Despite the fact that 40–50% of passionate PC gamers regularly use a controller, Windows didn’t offer a cohesive way to begin or resume play.

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Designing the Controller Bar

We aligned on a design that would surface 1) as soon as a controller is connected, and 2) when the Xbox button on the controller is pressed. The Controller Bar shows the three most recently played games (MRU), followed by recently used launchers. It sits within Game Bar but acts as a lightweight, fast entry point—bridging Windows Shell and Xbox services. Inspired by the Pen Menu, we saw an opportunity to create a contextual surface that appears only when relevant, offering quick access to high-intent actions without interrupting the broader experience. I explored multiple design models and interaction flows, including persistent vs. contextual launchers and controller-to-keyboard fallback navigation. I also worked with the Design System team to bring Game Bar closer to Fluent Design and consulted on incremental styling changes.

We ran two rounds of user research, which validated the MRU-first approach. Players valued resuming play with minimal input, found the Xbox button trigger intuitive, and preferred clarity over customization. These insights informed layout decisions, interaction feedback, and the transition into Game Bar.

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Dev Handoff & Selfhost

To ensure a smooth handoff, I created detailed redlines and accessibility specs that covered layout, input behaviors, Narrator order, and visual guidance for both light and dark modes. I walked through these specs with engineering partners to align on interaction details and edge cases, helping bridge any gaps between design intent and implementation. As development progressed, our team actively self-hosted early builds of Controller Bar to catch bugs and usability issues before broader rollout. I filed bugs directly and worked 1:1 with engineers to troubleshoot and resolve specific issues, from layout inconsistencies to interaction bugs.

Reflections + Handheld Sprint

What made this project especially meaningful was how it pushed me to think beyond the screen and consider how hardware + software work together. In a world where devices and app experiences often feel disconnected, addressing these gaps is essential, especially as Cloud experiences begin to blur the lines between ecosystems, platforms, and formfactors. I led a parallel handheld design sprint focused on improving Windows gaming experiences on third-party handheld devices. We explored how core system surfaces like Start, Taskbar, Controller Bar, and the Xbox app could adapt to smaller screens and hybrid input models. I prototyped key moments across the experience, including the landing page, app switching, in-game multitasking, docking behavior, and transitions between touch/controller input. These explorations helped envision how Windows could evolve to support flexible, play-first form factors, and sparked internal momentum toward a more cohesive, cross-device gaming ecosystem.

Controller Bar shipped to Windows Insiders in 2022 as a new part of Game Bar, offering a streamlined, controller-friendly way for users to return to play. Our team shared the design journey in a live webcast with the Windows Insider Program, inviting real-time feedback from early adopters. Check it out below!

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