Innovating in pursuit of the ultimate customer experience
Senior UX Engineer Kelly Gorr shares her journey of discovery and innovation
By Angela N. Bradley
As a Senior UX Engineer (UXE) on the Innovation and Technology team, Kelly Gorr has been innovating and collaborating across teams at Microsoft for six years. Her love for telemetry and analyzing data to continually uplevel the customer experience has guided and inspired her work across products at the company. In this interview, Kelly shares her career path, helpful insights gained in a rapidly changing field, and her journey of discovery and innovation as a UXE in pursuit of creating the ultimate user experience.
*Portions of this interview were generated in part with GPT-3, OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model. Upon generating draft language, the interviewee reviewed, edited, and revised the language to their own liking and takes ultimate responsibility for the content of this publication.
MD: Can you share your career path and how you got into the field of UX engineering?
Kelly: There are two paths to becoming a UX engineer (UXE) via engineering or via design. For example, a designer who wants to start prototyping or building their designs. Or from engineering, I speak with a lot of engineering interns who are at the end of their internship and have just heard about this “in-between” role where you get to do a little bit of everything.
I came to UX engineering from a third path, where I feel like I have always been a UXE. As part of my undergraduate research at the University of Washington Autism center, I tested the usability of new software by leading one-on-one run-throughs of the software with autistic adults. I wanted to work in psychology or as a psychology researcher, but I found myself spending all my free time creating (what I would call now) bad photoshop collages, photoshop tutorials, and websites to share my “art.” I had so much fun that I wanted to do it all the time. So, I started going to the Art Institute of Seattle — web design and interactive media for design and front-end engineering. Here, I learned about user research and user testing, which utilized the same research methods that I learned while studying psychology. I found my past and present commingling in unexpected ways and with my freshly printed degree, I got a job contracting with Xbox.
MD: Can you share a little about your role and responsibilities, and how it has evolved with the team over time?
Kelly: This role has many responsibilities: UX, accessibility, designing and implementing motion, implementing, analyzing telemetry, privacy, and security. I also work with designers and engineers building products, prototyping, and collaborating on a feature before handing code off to engineers.
I love telemetry and analyzing data. It’s really rewarding to see people using your product and to discover what features are most popular. Azure has great tools to automate the data that you want to regularly surface using their workbooks feature.
MD: Can you also share a bit about your broader team?
Kelly: I’m on the Innovation and Technology team — a horizontal team that works across products, which I love because of the diversity of projects. The UXE role is versatile, so our team’s role is always changing.
Currently, our team assists with design tooling and the Fluent Design System, along with a variety of other projects. We support research teams and emoji implementation efforts, and I’ve also collaborated with teams to help prototype motion and get it in product.
It has been a real privilege to work with so many creative individuals (plus working with designers = awesome team swag). Everything accomplished takes a real team effort. No competition, just everyone wanting to do their best and make great products. I feel lucky to have found such a great team from the start!
I asked ChatGPT3 to help me write a wonderful tribute to my team, because I usually get stuck after “They’re great!” Here’s the generated response:
I’m so grateful to have such a great collaborative team. Working together with such a talented and dedicated group of individuals has been an incredible experience. The diversity of backgrounds, skills, and perspectives has allowed us to approach challenges from multiple angles and come up with innovative solutions. Open communication and willingness to share ideas has fostered a positive and productive working environment. The trust and support we have for each other has allowed us to grow both professionally and personally. I’m constantly impressed by the dedication and hard work of my team, and I feel incredibly fortunate to be a part of such an amazing group of people.
MD: For those wanting to enter the field, what do you think are the most helpful skills and traits for UXEs to have?
Kelly: Things are always changing, so you probably don’t need to get a degree anymore. I went the degree route, but the only alternative when I was entering the field was freelancing as a web developer for a similar amount of time to get the same job. Now there are more opportunities to learn online and get similar experiences. All the UXE roles I have interviewed for had a coding test, so you’ll need to know some code. Focus on what you excel at and be yourself, you have a unique perspective!
Wow, this is from ChatGPT3. Thanks, AI!
Some of the most helpful skills and traits for UX engineers to have include:
- Empathy: the ability to understand and relate to the needs and perspectives of users.
- Problem-solving: the ability to identify and analyze problems and come up with effective solutions.
- Interaction design: the ability to design user interfaces that are intuitive and easy to use.
- User research: the ability to conduct user research to gather information about users and their needs.
- Collaboration: the ability to work well with others, including other designers, developers, and stakeholders.
- Technical skills: knowledge of design tools, web development, and other technologies relevant to the field.
- Adaptability: the ability to adapt to changing requirements and technologies.
- Communication: the ability to effectively communicate design decisions and rationale to various stakeholders.
- Creativity: the ability to come up with new and innovative design solutions.
- Persistence: The ability to push through roadblocks and keep working towards a solution.
MD: How do you approach solving complex design problems?
Kelly: I often hear, “They (engineering) said it couldn’t be done,” especially, when it comes to implementing things like motion. A UXE can advocate on behalf of a designer, so the design is implemented as intended without cutting corners. Motion, when used strategically on a website, can communicate a lot about what’s going on or how something is used. I can’t imagine seeing a progress bar without some animation applied to it, it wouldn’t feel like anything is happening.
This response is also from ChatGPT3. The secret to unlocking the real AI flair is to add “and make it sound exciting” at the end of your prompt!
UX engineers are master problem-solvers who approach complex design challenges with passion and creativity. They dive deep into the minds of users to understand their needs, desires, and pain points. Using research methods such as user interviews and surveys, they uncover valuable insights that inform the design process. They then unleash their imagination to generate a plethora of ideas and concepts, using design thinking techniques to explore and experiment. They craft wireframes and prototypes, testing and validating each iteration to ensure that the final solution is both beautiful and functional. As they collaborate closely with other members of the product team, they bring to life a design that not only delights users, but also pushes the boundaries of what’s possible. Every day is an exciting journey of discovery and innovation as UX engineers strive to create the ultimate user experience.
Kelly: Nice response, AI! Every day is an exciting journey of discovery and innovation as UX engineers strive to create the ultimate user experience. Couldn’t have said it better myself!
Honestly, some combination of iteration, design feedback, accessibility feedback, collaborations with research teams can really squash any design problem. Thankfully, web technology can be agile, so no choice is permanent. We’re always reviewing products and making them better.
MD: How do you stay current with the latest design trends and technologies?
Kelly: This tech space is definitely never dull. We’re at a tipping point for exciting innovation. I imagine these next comments are going to be immediately dated. AI has really started to take off and I’ve been using GitHub copilot while coding. I don’t mind if technology makes something that I do obsolete, I’ll have more time to focus on other things. There are a lot of areas that could be automated in UX, but when it comes to anything people are using, there’ll still be a need for some sort of human oversite to check that it’s working as intended.
MD: What have some of your favorite UXE projects been at Microsoft?
Kelly: As a UXE, I’m excited to work on any project with challenging or unique UX and UI. At Xbox, I got to build apps that used the Xbox controller and the voice and gesture controls of the Kinect — products with unconventional inputs are fun to problem solve.
VR is a fun space to build products for (more fun to build than to use as a product in my opinion), and it has a lot of unique UX considerations. I helped prototype how Office apps work on dual screen devices (specifically for Surface Neo, which was announced but never released). UXEs are in a unique position to work on the newest products and ideas because of our skillset.
More recently, I’ve been making design tooling plugins for Figma. The interaction between the plugin and the main Figma canvas always requires a lot of creative solutions. There’s limited space in the plugin window, so it’s an exercise in doing a lot with a little real estate.
MD: How has UXE as a discipline changed since you first started, and what excites you about the future of UX engineering?
Kelly: The goals are the same, but the tech is always changing. Motion has gone through many changes. We were excited for CSS3, and now there’s physics-based motion and other adaptive motion. Every year, there are new tools that optimize the developer’s experience and optimize features in the product.
Welcome back, ChatGPT3!
The future of UX engineering is exciting as the field continues to evolve and new technologies emerge. With the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning, UX engineers will have new tools to gather user data, personalize the user experience, and develop more sophisticated interactive interfaces. The increased use of virtual and augmented reality will also open up new opportunities for creating immersive and engaging experiences. As the boundaries between the physical and digital worlds continue to blur, UX engineers will play a vital role in shaping how people interact with technology in the future.
MD: What do you think are the biggest misconceptions about UXE that you wish more people understood?
Kelly: Sometimes, the name can be confusing. It’s called design technologist, interaction designer, design integrator, design engineer, front-end developer. The responsibilities of the role also vary greatly. Just telling someone you’re a UXE is like telling someone you’re a teacher, and not specifying what you teach. Some UXEs are designing and building products from start to finish while others are only prototyping and building out specific functionality and doing user studies. Still, many UXEs code full time, work on the web, in gaming, or on emerging digital devices.
Another misconception: UXE work doesn’t always need to be groundbreaking. Maybe it does for a new product when there’s something novel that requires a new innovative type of interaction. But often, you’re working with something that you can map to an existing pattern. Especially with accessibility, we usually don’t want to do something new, it needs to work exactly as expected and established.
MD: What would your younger self think about your current career?
Kelly: I grew up in a small town (Arlington, WA) that had one high school and a single computer programing track (which I didn’t take). The only computer class I had was a required typing course. Working in the tech field wasn’t on my radar as a career option.
MD: Outside of your work, what do you enjoy doing?
Kelly: When I step away from the computer, I pick up the controller for my games console of choice and sit down in front of the TV. Just kidding. I do get outside with my dog — my best bud! I live in the PNW, so I take advantage of any nice day we get. Last year, I built two decks for my house — without any previous carpentry tools or experience, and they are still standing!
