Company
Meta
Role
Product Design (IC5)
Year
2022–2024
Problem
Fragmented tools and broken workflows
A disjointed set of tools made it hard for internal users to simulate, inspect, and analyze test data. Each tool had its own UX conventions, which led to repetitive tasks, inconsistent patterns, and a steep learning curve.
🕵️
of test debugging time spent locating the right tool / data stream
📉
reported bugs that were misinterpretations of the UI
🧭
user who relied on peer guidance or documentation to navigate
Approach
Creating the UX foundation in VRS Webplayer
Our team introduced a new simulation viewer (VRS Web Player) to test and validate the updated UI/UX direction.
✅
Defined core interaction patterns
✅
Unified layout and component structure
✅
Designed around real usage flows
✅
Mapped workflows to real user behavior, not tool structure
As a newly developed tool for MetaSim, the VRS Webplayer allowed us to get stakeholder buy-in on new features without disrupting existing workflows.
Solution
The success of the VRS Web Player design led to the adoption of its UX patterns across the broader MetaSim platform.
✅
Converted key internal tools to the new system
✅
Reduced onboarding friction
✅
Increased tooling clarity and performance
UI Highlights
Unified top nav for seamless tool switching
Reusable component library aligned with Meta XDS tokens
The Pipelines Overview tool was redesigned to improve the visual hierarchy and improve scanability and content organization.
The Pipelines detail page was redesigned to support tabbed navigation giving users more flexibility in how they access data,
Stage Contents received a complete overhaul bringing it in-line with the other tools in the MetaSim suite.
Explore the Figma file to see how design decisions were made.
Implementation
I collaborated closely with engineers, PMs, and research to roll out a design system and improve simulation workflows across the suite.
Design PrOcess
Results
Outcomes across the suite
Addressing user needs through intentional alerts and interactions and developing these within a scalable design system drove our success.
⏱
faster workflow completion
💻
of engineers preferred the new UX
📈
improved PM-engineer collaboration
Takeaways
This project highlighted the importance of designing with engineers, not just for them—especially when building complex internal tools.
It also showed how unifying design decisions early on can have compounding benefits across a product suite.
✅
Creating a visual and interaction language grounded in real workflows
✅
Starting small with one tool (VRS) before scaling to the rest of the platform
✅
Building trust through frequent internal reviews and live demos
✅
Collaborating closely with engineering on edge cases and performance constraints
⚠️
Involve QA and hardware testing teams earlier to catch usability edge cases faster
⚠️
Document component usage more rigorously to better support future contributors
⚠️
Advocate for dedicated time to measure long-term impact and adoption metrics beyond launch
Get in touch
Let’s talk. Whether you’re building something new or improving what’s already working, I’d love to hear about it.
Sean Finn
Product Designer
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