SMART GRID
EVOLUTION.
Transforming the spreadsheet from a static grid of text into a dynamic canvas for people, projects, and time.
DAILY ACTIVE USAGE
CHIPS & TABLES
PRODUCT EXECUTION
Beyond Text & Numbers
For 15 years, spreadsheets were defined by text and numbers. But our strategic research revealed that 70% of users were trying to track "rich" entities—projects, people, and events—using hacky workarounds like color-coding cells manually.
The goal was to modernize the grid infrastructure (The Smart Grid) to natively support these entities without breaking the speed and flexibility that power users love.
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01
SMART CHIPS & DROPDOWNS
Replaced static text with interactive "Chips" (People, Files, Events). Simultaneously modernized dropdowns into colorful, pill-shaped chips, creating a unified, clickable UI layer across the grid.
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02
TIMELINE VIEW
Designed a new view that automatically transforms grid data into a visual Gantt chart, solving the #1 pain point for project trackers: "The Bird's Eye View."
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03
SHEETS TABLES
The culmination of the Smart Grid: Formalized tables with specific column types, "Group By" views, and effortless filtering—bridging the gap between spreadsheet and database.
ITERATIVE USABILITY
Conducted bi-weekly usability sprints with PM and Engineering partners to refine the interaction patterns of Chip creation and Timeline configuration.
CONCEPT TESTING
Validated early concepts of "Canvas Views" to ensure we weren't alienating core analysts while building features for trackers.
CROSS-FUNCTIONAL WORKSHOPS
Led design sprints with the Docs and Gmail teams to ensure Smart Chips behaved consistently across the entire Google Workspace suite.