Quick Start

The Problem: Hurdles in Setup Led to Chromebook Returns

Setting up a new Chromebook can be challenging. People struggled with connecting to Wi-Fi or logging into their Google accounts. From research, we found these challenges often led to frustration, and associated with Chromebook returns. On top of that, people lacked a clear understanding of how their Google devices could work together.

Our high level goals were: Make it easier to set up a Chromebook, and enhance the value of the Google ecosystem by making Android phones and Chromebooks work better together from the beginning.

My Role

I led the design of the Quick Start experience between early 2023 to 2024, collaborating with teams across Google. In addition, I worked alongside a product manager, researcher, writer, visual designer and 5 engineers.

Quick Start was launched in October 2024.

The Key Challenges

Prioritizing user research to build team confidence

Quick Start was an ambitious, multi-year project that required solving complex problems while coordinating efforts across multiple teams. When I joined the project in early 2023, the initial design and engineering work had started, but the team wasn’t confident the experience would meet user needs.

To address this, I prioritized early user testing despite feasibility challenges and time constraints. I quickly picked up a new tool to build interactive prototypes that mirrored the actual flow, enabling us to gather useful feedback during lab studies.

Feedback from participants revealed key pain points, such as easy-to-miss entry points and unclear transitions between devices. The prioritized research helped us discover usability issues early and improve the cross-device experience.

Aligning different teams for design success

Working with multiple teams—Android, Onboarding, Identity—was another layer of complexity. Each team had their own priorities, but I led working sessions to align different goals and resolve conflicts.

For example, we worked with Onboarding to redesign the entry points on different screens, and collaborated with the Android team on consolidating the account selection screen. These collaborations built trust and kept the project moving forward.

Driving reliability through rigorous testing and iteration

Before launch, it was essential to ensure Quick Start performed reliably in real-world scenarios. Cross-device experiences are inherently complex, with potential issues such as connection problems or devices failing to stay in sync, which can lead to user frustration. Addressing these challenges early was critical.

To mitigate these risks, we collaborated with the Android team to conduct two rounds of large-scale internal tests with about 200 participants, spanning various devices and use cases.

We iterated based on the feedback, resolving critical bugs and enhancing the user experience through clearer instructions and smoother interactions. By the time of launch, we were confident that Quick Start provided a smooth and reliable setup experience.

The Launch and Beyond

Quick Start was pre-announced at the Chromebook Plus showcase in New York in May 2024, and was officially rolled out in September 2024.

Quick Start is now a strong foundation for future features, paving the way for even better cross-device experiences. Based on the findings from our research, we were also able to create strategies for long-term improvements and identify new opportunities for the next steps. These include exploring deeper integrations within the Google ecosystem and enhancing data transfer capabilities, ensuring the setup process continues to evolve to meet user needs.

Curious to know more? Reach out to me at hey.menghan@gmail.com