Design an intuitive multi-tasking experience
for Xiaomi tablets
Summary
Redesign Xiaomi's tablet multitasking to reduce task-switch friction, increase user discoverability, and align with business growth goals during the HyperOS1/MIUI15 phase.
My Role
Collaborated with PM and refined product strategy based on user research
End-to-end UX design
Conducted usability testing and iteration
USER RESEARCH FINDINGS
1/3
Tablet Users Are Constantly Growing
Users spend more time in apps on tablets, and more often in select categories.
Entertainment, web browsing, and productivity apps are the main categories people spend time on.
This may suggest that tablets are the preferred device for these use cases SysUI and multitasking experiences should be prioritized and more deeply integrated with these types of apps to provide a seamless and robust experience.
Source: Android
2/3
The Tablet Multitasking Dilemma
As users shift to using tablets more, they expect desktop-level capabilities.
Interviews revealed that despite people's love for the portability and flexibility of tablets, they still realized the gap between tablets and computers in terms of powerful multitasking capabilities.
“I think it's just easier to use a real computer sometimes…Especially when a lot is going on and you're keeping track of a lot of things. Sometimes after I grab my tablet for a while I end up moving to my laptop.”
—Jun
“Tablets are pretty enough for a quick video meeting. But if my team is gonna share several docs with me and I have to shift between those docs, I would have to open my computer, but I'll still let the tablet run the video meeting, it was nice to keep everyone's face in view.”
—Han
3/3
Our Multitasking Functionality did not align with projected adoption trends
Quantitative analysis reveals a significant disparity in multitasking adoption, with tablet penetration rates (11%) falling less than half of mobile counterparts (25.65%).
Our user demographic composition shows a predominant presence of expert users and intermediate users, however with limited novice adoption.
This necessitates a twofold approach: enabling effortless onboarding for new users while systematically facilitating their progression to advanced proficiency.
“It's too difficult to type on the tablet so it's easier to make it on my laptop. I wish I could use my tablet, it would be nice to look at my notes and my literature on the same screen.”
—Lynn
PRIMARY CHALLENGE
💔 01: Difficult for users to advance.
Users found it difficult to understand how app windows relate to one another. While advanced features exist, the lack of intuitive structure made the system especially challenging for first-time users.
💔 02: The path can be too long.
To open another split-screen App B next to A, users have to leave A first.
DESIGN STRATEDY
💡 Iterate on gesture fundamentals
Windows are now draggable from all the states. There are no longer barriers between the three window states. (We were the first to bring up this concept back then in 2022)
For the best darg experience, we designed gesture maps for each case.
↑Drag to change window states.
How we evaluate the gestures
Feedback & hints.
Reversible
Devices matter
Test with running demos
Inclusive
💡 Iterate on split view
In the past, split-screen windows only exist in pairs, it is impossible to close one window while leaving the other intact in one step.
Now, split screen windows can be closed and used separately, and even staying active with the desktop, which is convenient for users to better create a split view that meets their needs.
「Before」Split windows operated in a paired manner
「New」 Each split window functions independently
Here are 2 other interesting exploration proposals regarding the "Desktop Mode," through which you can observe my innovative thinking and in-depth understanding of the system's multitasking design.
*The concepts below were part of my early 2022 exploration for enhancing productivity on larger screens. While it ultimately wasn’t the direction we pursued, the design still demonstrates a clear and effective window management system—intuitive for new users while offering scalability to accommodate more advanced workflows.
USABILITY TESTING
Mainly focus on intermediate user and novice users, identified key points that lead to further iteration.
OUTCOME
✅ Lauched on Xiaomi Pad 6 series in Dec 2023.
✅ Positive feedback & stats on user feedback platform.
