Portfolio
From bootstrapping products for early stage startups, to scaling new business products at Meta, to independently developing little apps, I’ve spent 10 years designing and building useful, usable software.
WhatsApp HD Media
Product DesignWorking with the WhatsApp Media team in London, I designed the HD media sharing and recipient experience. Enabling this significant jump in quality for 2 billion users on a wide range of devices and networks was no small achievement. The experience was designed to protect users with slow network connections or low device storage space. We did this by optimising media encoding, tailoring defaults based on network and storage conditions, plus including thoughtful friction to guide users with slower network connections. Mark Zuckerberg announced WhatsApp HD media sharing on August 17th, 2023.
WhatsApp Status
Product DesignStatus is the stories feature in WhatsApp, which people use to share updates with their contacts (mainly outside Western Europe/North America). I worked with a small team in London to modernise WhatsApp's Status feature, with better support for link sharing and new media types popular on WhatsApp – voice updates. This package of updates was seen as critical for keeping Status relevant and up to par with competitor stories products, and addressing key user needs. These updates were announced publicly in February 2023.
WhatsApp 2GB File Sharing
Product DesignAfter joining WhatsApp in October 2021, I worked with the Media team to enable simple, private and secure 2GB file sharing. I worked closely with engineers to provide the best file sharing experience possible within the constraints of the network conditions of WhatsApp's global user-base. I designed simple guidance to help users understand the impact of file sharing on their mobile data costs and device storage space. I also designed ETAs and progress notifications to set clear expectations of when files would be received. In spring 2022, Large file sharing was announced as part WhatsApp's vision for communities, and launched alongside reactions and 512-people groups.
Facebook Classes
Product DesignI worked on Facebook Classes as part of the Messenger team for 9 months in 2021. I led the team's work on the classes "marketplace", supporting teachers to create and promote classes on Facebook, and supporting learners to discover and register for classes they're interested in, then join the conversation in Messenger. I collaborated closely with designers and other partners across Messenger and Facebook teams to guide learners and teachers to connect in a class chat and a video call. (Facebook Classes isn't yet available in all countries.)
Workplace Chat
Product DesignI worked on Workplace Chat as part of the Workplace product team at Facebook from 2018-20. In this role, I collaborated with other designers to design chat for small and medium sized businesses, redesigned chat navigation as part of a broader Workplace rearchitecture, and product-managed and led design for the Workplace Chat mobile apps for a year.
Your Week
Product Design & Web DevelopmentYour Week is a focused planner I designed and built based on my own process for setting priorities at the each start of week and tracking progress towards my weekly goals. I wanted the app to feel simple and reliable, integrate with common workflows, and encourage a moment of celebration when you achieve your goals. The visual design emulates a traditional, reliable, leather-bound planner. It's available for free on web and Android.
Workplace Live Video
Product DesignDuring the shift towards remote working in 2020 caused by the coronavirus pandemic, I worked with a small team to design and build live video tools for businesses using Workplace to keep their employees connected and share critical updates. I led the design of Live Q&A across platforms, and designed Workplace's video call product, Rooms, on iOS.
Yavi
Product Design & Web DevelopmentIn hospitality and retail businesses, miscommunications about staff scheduling are frequent, causing frustrated staff to miss their shifts and costing businesses money. I worked with the small start-up team at Yavi in Edinburgh from 2016-18 to design, build and scale a product focused on improving scheduling and team communication for shift-working teams. The product was rewarding to work on, making a difference to the working lives of people working for brands like Domino's, Debenhams, Three, Vodafone, and thousands of small businesses.
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HRU
Product Design & Web DevelopmentHRU is a little app I built to solve an important, but simple problem: it can be difficult to talk to people – even the people you're closest to – about how you're feeling, and ask for a helping hand. HRU provides a safe space to share your emotions without comment or judgement. The app is intended to feel simple and empressive, making space to acknowledge your feelings and your loved ones'.
Shout
Product Design & Web DevelopmentAfter spending time designing marketing software in 2016, I decided to build a tool for small businesses who wanted to engage customers via social media with videos and GIFs, but didn't have their own high quality media to share. Shout is a tool for making GIFs and videos from your own images and text. It's intended to be simple to get started with, but a powerful tool for creating marketing content when you have mastered it. Shout is used on a small scale, by several hundred businesses each month, to create content for social media.
Timeline
Product Design & Web DevelopmentIn 2016, while on holiday, staying with family, I realised that it'd be really valuable for me to know more about my grandparents' lives and their stories. I design and built Timeline as a way to record their memories, with text and images. Over the past few years, my parents and grandparents have built up their timelines with important moments from their past.
Wonderloop
Product Design & Web DevelopmentI joined the Wonderloop team as a Communication Designer, defining how the video profile product should be marketed to a young professional audience. In this role, I designed for online marketing and in-person events, such as meetups with popular creatives and Vine stars. My role grew to include front-end engineering, including the Wonderloop website and web app. The ability to share a video profile link played a significant part in increasing organic growth.
You might also like to browse mentions of my work in the press.
Have a lovely day.
© 2023, Graham Macphee.