OneNote

Microsoft | Contribution: UI Designer | Project Length: 18 months


Microsoft OneNote helps users organize information, collaborate, and take notes with ease. Primarily used by teachers and students, OneNote is a powerful tool for managing knowledge. On the team, I led the visual design for OneNote Online and its fluid design system. The goal was to simplify the existing interface and create a UI that is intuitive, accessible, and user-friendly. Key features included drag-and-drop functionality, favoriting notes, filtering, suggested collections, and note sorting. For the redesign, I developed the color palette, grid systems, type ramp, detailed card system, and iconography, working closely with UX, motion, and engineering teams to ensure designs were on brand and strategically effective.

 
 

Keep Track Of The Small Things

Microsoft Sticky Notes helps users quickly capture thoughts and reminders so they can stay in the flow. With Sticky Notes, users can create notes using text, ink, or images, apply formatting, place notes on their desktop, move them freely, and sync across devices. In addition to the light mode version, I designed Sticky Notes for dark mode in response to customer requests. Dark mode not only refreshed the look of the app but also improved accessibility, making it easier for differently-abled people to interact with their notes.

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The Impact Of Dark Mode

One of my key accomplishments at Microsoft was designing the full OneNote experience in dark mode. I collaborated closely with the accessibility team to ensure every feature met a minimum accessibility grade of B-. Beyond contrast ratios, we implemented speech and keyboard navigation, along with speech descriptors for all design elements, to support differently-abled people. The updated color palette was both high-contrast and visually appealing in dark mode. This redesign was highly successful, raising OneNote’s accessibility grade from B- to A-.

 

Think With Ink

Add personality to your notes with handwriting recognition and visual highlights. Users can take handwritten notes and convert them to typed text, emphasize key points with colors or shapes, and organize ideas in a way that’s both expressive and easy to scan. After implementing this feature, analytics showed a notable increase in customer engagement, proving its impact on the user overall experience.

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Take OneNote With You Everywhere

Microsoft OneNote is cross-platform and accessible on all devices, providing a seamless experience no matter where you are. Users can easily access their content from any device, even offline, and switch effortlessly between platforms—start a note on your laptop and continue editing on your phone. OneNote ensures that your notes are always available, consistent, and easy to use across every device.