Remote Presence
2020 | Messenger
Led shared games inside Messenger video calls during the pandemic shift to remote presence. Launched beta with 9 titles.
Designer Responsibilities
Pitched concept designs for team roadmap reviews and iterated on the end-to-end experience for web and Android. Defined final designs for the initial December launch, operating as lead designer across cross-functional teams between Facebook Gaming and Messenger.
Designing Video Call Experience During Covid
In 2020, I deliberately moved from Facebook Gaming, where I'd spent two years, to work on core audio and video calling at Messenger during the pandemic. The lockdowns had created something unprecedented: most of the world was experiencing severe disconnection from loved ones, and video calls became the default way to stay close from afar. 'Together, when apart' became the motto our team began forming around. We focused on exploring and building activities and tools inside video calls to create what we called 'remote togetherness.'
What is Remote Togetherness?
Interviews with 19 people over three weeks revealed that gaming and co-watching are the most natural, rewarding, and engaging ways people stay connected remotely. Video calls have real limits: emotional and physical exhaustion and reduced reward compared to in-person interaction, which discourage regular use. Games create an immersive, shared context that reduces fatigue and makes being apart feel more normal.
Analogy of Game Party
Think of it like a living room: friends gather and someone suggests a board game. Some people decline (they don't know the rules, don't have time, or aren't feeling competitive), but they stay in the room anyway. Those who want to play start, and anyone can join later. New arrivals get the same invitation. This was the mental model: participation optional, presence always welcome.
Rooms, People and Things
After iterating on multiple concepts and aligning stakeholders across Messenger and Facebook, the final approach placed the game board visibly within the video window while keeping video tiles nearby, so players felt co-present even while gaming. The design had to balance optional participation with the feeling of genuinely being together.
Final Design
The end-to-end experience covers creating, joining, ending, and leaving games within Rooms, plus grid logic and reporting. Launched with 9 game titles for beta, reaching global release in April 2023 across iOS, Android, and web.
Other Explorations
Beyond gaming, we explored other ways people could hang out together in Messenger, including shared cursor experiences and a music listening station.