Google Beam

Defining the design language for emerging 3D video communication technology

Case Study

Google Beam demonstration showing natural scale 3D video communication with multiple participants in a realistic meeting environment

My role

Explored design and prototypes for Google Beam, a 3D video communication system that renders participants at natural scale. Created high-fidelity prototypes and a foundational design system to validate spatial presence, eye contact, and turn-taking in three dimensions.

Prototyping
Design Systems
Spatial interaction
Motion design
After Effects
Protopie
Figma

Component System & Spatial Design

Built 80+ components from scratch for display prototypes. Defined interaction models for spatial UI and natural user presence. Created scalable patterns that adapted as technical constraints evolved.

Design patterns demonstrating increased eye contact in video calls

Component patterns enabling natural turn-taking behavior

Motion Guidelines & Prototyping

Designed motion system using After Effects for complex 3D behaviors. Built interactive prototypes in ProtoPie to validate patterns with users. Enabled research studies by creating realistic interaction specs

Motion guidelines demonstrating reduced meeting fatigue

Engineering Handoff & Documentation

Created detailed component specs with precise measurements and responsive behaviors. Reduced design-to-dev friction by aligning documentation with engineering workflows. Met aggressive timelines while maintaining implementation accuracy.

Team Enablement & Tooling

Built internal tools that accelerated PM, researcher, and designer workflows. Created reusable templates reducing repetitive work across 15+ team members. Improved stakeholder communication with presentation frameworks.