PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Overview:
Meta XR Sim 2.0 was a redesign of an existing VR simulation tool used by developers building immersive and mixed reality experiences across Unity, Unreal, and Godot, with Unity as the primary workflow. The tool already had strong usage and clear product value, but it had also accumulated substantial friction over time. Because it had largely been built from an engineering-first foundation, the experience lacked the usability clarity, interaction consistency, and visual polish expected of a mature developer product.I led the redesign of XR Sim 2.0 to improve the day-to-day developer experience, reduce workflow friction, and modernize the product without disrupting an already active user base. The work launched in January 2026.

Challenge:
This was not a net-new product story. The challenge was to improve a tool developers already relied on heavily while preserving the utility that made it valuable in the first place.The opportunity was twofold.First, the product needed a stronger UX foundation. Core workflows supported real developer needs, but the experience had become harder to navigate, less consistent, and less refined than the importance of the tool warranted. Second, the redesign needed to support a broader platform direction. XR Sim was moving toward React Native, and the team needed a practical bridge between the current product and a longer-term design system migration. We used an interim design system that was already production-ready, with the intention of transitioning to the final system once it became available. That made the redesign both an immediate usability effort and a foundational systems decision within Meta’s broader push to unify developer tools under a more cohesive, recognizable design language.

Process:
Aligned early through PRD creation, which helped define the core problems, product requirements, technical constraints, and success criteria before design execution moved forward. That upfront alignment was important because this was not just a UI refresh. It touched workflow quality, implementation realities, and longer-term platform direction.From there, the team worked in sprints with a consistent cross-functional rhythm. We maintained a twice-weekly collaboration pattern: one sync focused on design and engineering, and one broader sync with project managers, technical program managers, data scientists, and other cross-functional partners. That cadence made it easier to move quickly while keeping design quality, technical feasibility, and measurement aligned. From a design standpoint, the work focused on simplifying high-frequency workflows, clarifying interactions, improving hierarchy and usability, and creating a more coherent product experience across the tool. I also helped shape the product for future device readiness, including refined sizing, spacing, and interaction patterns to support emerging and more experimental input models.

My Role:
Led the redesign of XR Sim 2.0 from product and UX direction through execution. My role included defining the experience strategy for a high-usage redesign, identifying where friction was harming daily iteration workflows, redesigning core flows for clarity, consistency, and speed, partnering closely with engineering to align design decisions with technical constraints and implementation sequencing, helping position the product for React Native migration and future design system adoption, and contributing to future-readiness work around new interaction patterns and evolving input expectations.The work required balancing immediate usability improvements with longer-term platform thinking, which made it as much a product design leadership effort as a redesign effort.

Outcome: XR Sim 2.0 launched in January 2026. Following launch, MAU  increased by 18% in the first month, and average session duration increased by 3m 18s over 90 days.Beyond the launch metrics, the redesign established a stronger foundation for future development. It improved the quality of an already important workflow, modernized the experience without losing core utility, and set the product up for broader system-level evolution across design language, architecture, and future interaction support.

Meta XR Simulator

Runtime Optimizer

VCS for Horizon Studio / Worlds