Google Careers Locations
Google's location pages read like a directory. I helped turn them into a place where candidates can picture their life in each city. My designs are live on their page!
My role
Led landing page design and location discovery UX Audited user flows and redesigned location browsing Proposed a new lifestyle content section
Results
Google implemented all proposed designs Improved location knowledge from 3.8 to 5.5 out of 7 Organized 150 offices into one scannable page
January to May 2026 | 4 Product Designers, UX Researchers, 8 Developers | Figma, FigJam, Github, Jira
How I Worked
1 Audit
Mapped where candidates dropped off in the existing flow.
2 Research
Surveyed 187 candidates and interviewed experienced hires.
3 Explore
Each designer built their own take, then we merged them into 2 to 3 versions per page.
4 Test
Two rounds of comparative testing with 10 participants each. 7 usability sessions.
Candidates left the page overwhelmed and bored.
Survey of 187 candidates
PROBLEM
53%
of the most eager applicants lowered their intent to apply after viewing the old page. They called it sterile, bland, and corporate.
WHAT I DID
I audited the existing flow, then designed the landing page around fewer, clearer choices: one scannable page with featured locations, region filters, and an accordion for all 150 offices. Layouts that stayed close to Google's design system tested better, so I added personality inside it.
IMPACT
In round 2 testing, participants preferred cards over interactive components for scannability, and 100% recognized Google's brand. Testers spent the most time, about 2 minutes, browsing locations.
Browsing 150 offices took too much effort.
Flow audit and user flows
PROBLEM
4
friction points in the existing flow: unclear calls to action, unclear navigation between the hub and office pages, limited information on less-visited pages, and no filters or search on mobile.
WHAT I DID
I explored three flows (high intent, low intent, data driven) and chose the high intent flow as the clearest route to help users get from the main location page to an office. I pushed for cards because they match Google's design language and let high-intent users get from point A to point B quickly. A separate page per region added friction and the interactive map confused people, so I moved everything onto one scrollable page and cut the map.
IMPACT
Round 1 testing found cards more scannable and predictable than a map, and round 2 confirmed the preference.
Ok, but what is the daily life in a city like?
Survey priorities
PROBLEM
5th of 7
Location-specific projects ranked 5th of 7 priorities. Daily logistics, social fit, and living conditions mattered more.
WHAT I DID
I pitched an "Imagining life in" section for each office, showing what it's like to live and work there: evenings on Castro Street, the pace of the work, and nearby trails. Google needs legal approval to name any restaurant or shop, so the client asked us to stick to neighborhoods and outdoor spots.
IMPACT
Testers said it helped them picture themselves working there. In usability sessions the bento section held a good amount of attention (~1 minute). They also noticed that tiles in the grid where uneven, so making them consistent was another task.
Candidates didn't trust a polished corporate page
Survey and interviews
PROBLEM
44.9%
turn to Reddit when researching a company because they find it more trustworthy. A page filled with stock photos only reinforced their doubts.
WHAT I DID
I replaced corporate content with employee voices and authentic imagery. Implementing life at Google cards with real roles and cities, and workplace stories on each office page.
IMPACT
The office sneak peek and testimonials were among the highest performing components in round 1, and round 2 testers engaged most with personal stories, which pushed us to rethink the page hierarchy.
OUTCOME
Google has officially implemented all of the designs.
This year
Google has implemented all our proposed designs, while engineering is referencing a resume matcher built by our development team.
3.8 to 5.5
Average knowledge of a location out of 7, before and after the redesign (through 7 usability sessions).
150
Offices organized into one scannable page.
REFLECTION
WHEN IN DOUBT, ALWAYS LET EVIDENCE GUIDE DECISIONS
Working with a team of designers who had very different ideas sometimes created friction. This project reinforced the importance of stepping back from personal preferences and grounding decisions in user research, usability findings, and what evidently works best for users.
NEW IDEAS ≠ MEAN BETTER
High-intent users wanted the familiar option. Cards beat the interactive map, and layouts close to Google's system beat experimental ones. Now I ask what someone is trying to get done before deciding a new pattern is worth the learning curve.
WHAT IS NEXT
Our testing covered hundreds of users, but Google's experience serves tens of thousands. I'd want to see how the new page structure and components perform at that scale and whether they fit naturally within Google's existing design system.
Thanks for reading! Getting a job is stressful enough, so finding one shouldn't add to it.
From the team <3
