Consultant and Alpha Tester
Project Ara
Google
April 2014 – September 2016

Served as a lead alpha tester and community consultant for Google’s Project Ara, an ambitious modular smartphone initiative aimed at democratizing hardware development. The project sought to revolutionize the mobile industry by enabling users to swap out individual components—such as cameras, batteries, or processors—rather than replacing entire devices. Worked closely with all three community managers to gather and document consumer feedback via the dscout alpha testing platform, synthesizing user projections, identifying trends, and helping guide early-stage product development.

• Strategic Consultation: Provided feedback on prototype usability, modular design trade-offs, and community-driven development models.
• User Research & Feedback Analysis: Synthesized qualitative data from alpha testers to identify patterns in user behavior, expectations, and technical concerns.
• Community Engagement: Collaborated with Google’s community managers to ensure feedback loops between testers and engineers remained active and productive.
• Recognition & Access: Ranked among the top 100 alpha testers, then top 12, earning access to the Project Ara office on the Google campus—a rare distinction that underscored the impact of my contributions.
• Developer Conference Participation: Invited to multiple developer conferences and consultation meetings hosted by Google, Motorola, and partner startups to share insights and advise on user experience strategies.
• Open Hardware Advocacy: Contributed to broader discussions on modular technology and open hardware innovation, helping bridge the gap between visionary engineering and real-world consumer needs.