Hi, I'm Meena.

I connect how people think to how machines learn.

Currently @ Google DeepMind leading design for multimodal conversational experiences on Gemini Live, part of the Gemini App (1B+ users)

01 Product + Model Design 2026

Multimodal image generation

Turning a wild idea into a tangible proof of concept right at the moment you're experiencing it

I was skeptical at first. I wasn't sure that Gemini Live was the right place for Nano Banana.
But then I built a prototype, and it clicked – not just for me, but also for my team. And it ended up clicking for users too, becoming the most used tool in Gemini Live.

Highlights
  • Prototyped the core interactions and flows in AI Studio on the actual APIs, which unlocked funding for the feature and drove requirements. Tested and refined interactions in Antigravity, steering Claude-generated code with hands-on edits.
  • Defined the eval rubric & set, analyzed losses, and adjusted the UI and conversation design accordingly, such as adjusting the image ratio and rewriting the system instructions governing the handoff and completion phrases.
  • Identified potential collision with another feature – visual cues – and implemented clear decision-making heuristics to address it.
02 Product + Model Design 2026

Audio-visual responses

Deciding if, when, and how Gemini should show and tell.

Visuals aren't always necessary. We shouldn't show for the sake of showing.
To validate this hypothesis, I took a “fast and slow” approach – learning quickly through a focused set of deterministic outputs and developing a foundational framework, eval rubric, and training data to shape model behavior upstream.

Highlights
  • Shipped MVP with simple turn-based auto-dismiss to learn from real usage, while iterating toward smarter, criteria-based dismissal and flexible layouts.
  • Defined a clear, actionable roadmap, framework, and eval rubric adopted by the foundational audio model team and other design teams across devices and product areas.
  • Navigated pushback on my original thesis because it added rigor that read as unnecessary complexity. Held the line to avoid adding extraneous cognitive load and breaking the core premise of audio interfaces.
  • Analyzed raw outputs from the model with a custom tool built in Antigravity (with Claude models) to quickly visualize raw model outputs and guide subsequent revisions.
03 Design Lead 2025

Video and screen sharing

Seeing and understanding your physical or digital world as you move through it.

Video and screen sharing in Gemini Live

It wasn't clear how to productionize a research prototype.
At I/O 2024, Project Astra introduced the future capabilities of a universal AI assistant capable of understanding the world around you. With limited foresight into how users would actually use this feature, I led the design for productionizing this prototype, ultimately winning a “Best of MWC” and “GLOMO” award and becoming a key driver of new users.

Highlights
  • Defined the core interaction framework to clearly outline the solution space and guide the work of my design team.
  • Drove cross-PA alignment to improve the screen-share indicator and permissioning UI and flow.
  • Addressed the shortcomings of our previous eval approach – a random spread of prompts – by introducing a taxonomy that represented the actual range of use cases based on user insights and model capabilities. This enabled us to better test and hillclimb on quality, and inform which features were most important. The taxonomy format became the “gold standard” across the team.
  • Directed the team through an accelerated launch timeline by managing priorities, cutting scope to land the core experience sooner, reviewing work, and jumping in where needed.
04 Design Lead 2024

Gemini Live MVP

Introducing a new, more natural way to communicate with AI through real-time audio dialogue

We wanted to let people “think out loud”, and trust Gemini could follow along.
I was new to the team and had to quickly get my arms around work to-date, structure the thinking, identify the remaining work, and mobilize a group of 10 designers who hadn’t worked together, balancing oversight and empowerment to maintain momentum without losing cohesion.

Highlights
  • Drove prioritization of Live MVP requirements and tasks with XFN leads ensuring the team focused on the top priorities based on user needs, business strategy, and success criteria.
  • Created and managed the Gemini Live MVP design system in Figma, ensuring quality and cohesion across the E2E experience.
  • Pre-reviewed all UX changes from the design team, identified and resolved gaps, and worked with designers to clarify designs and rationale. This operationalized clear communication and ensured smooth, high-velocity collaboration to meet the MBG launch deadline.
  • Oversaw integration into the larger Gemini Design System, demonstrating system-aware craft by advocating for the core design intent of Live and preserving key decisions to deviate from the main app where necessary.
  • Connected emerging AI trends to specific business opportunities and user needs to organize PM & UX leads around a post-launch strategy.
05 Design Lead 2024

Gemini Mobile App

Taking Gemini out of the browser and putting it in your pocket

From pitch deck to the app store – taking an app from 0 to 1 (Billion)
When Gemini first launched, it was capped by the browser. I was on a team of 5 designers to pitch execs on a different bet: a mobile app that would unlock new capabilities, increase usage, and facilitate the transition from Google Assistant. The Gemini mobile app became the fastest growing app in Google history, surpassing 1 billion users in 2 years.

Highlights
  • Shaped the initial framing, strategy, and early concepts to secure greenlight on mobile app effort.
  • Owned design for two of the app’s highest visibility surfaces: onboarding and home page. Led a team of 3 designers, reviewing and steering work and jumping in as needed.
  • Pushed for onboarding that named the gaps between Assistant and Gemini directly; leads preferred a more upbeat cut, and that’s what shipped. Ratings dropped and sentiment confirmed users felt misled — a pattern I’d seen before on Drive for desktop. Fixed it: ratings recovered and stabilized.
  • Navigated device manufacturer constraints, regulatory compliance, multiple platforms, and branding changes without slipping on timeline.
  • Identified a fundamental conflict between 2 key user journeys (input vs browse) on the home page, and advocated for an opinionated design rather than trying to equally serve both goals, which would compromise coherence and clarity.

About

I've always been fascinated by the “and”; the in-between. It first led me to study human-computer interaction and later how people calibrate trust in AI-assisted decisions before landing at the intersection of the model and the interface, understanding and shaping emerging capabilities in ways that work for and with people, ensuring that we don't outsource what makes us, at our core, human.

Outside of work, I am:

  • Plotting on my next travel adventure
  • Tinkering in the kitchen (was recently inflicted by the Covid-era bread obsession)
  • Finding the best slice in NYC
  • Sharpening my latte art skills
  • Wrangling a happy hour & trying to perfect the art of “splitting the G”