The Geo team is responsible for maintaining Google's location-based mapping products and geospatial infrastructure.
Gemini in Navigation (GIN) is an AI-powered conversational co-pilot that helps users confidently get to where they're going on Google Maps.
ROLE
UX Design Intern
TIMELINE
Jun-Sep 2026
TOOLS
Figma
Gemini
AI Studio
Internal AI Tools
TEAM
Geo | Driving Experiences
2 Designers
1 UX Design Intern (Me!)
COLLABORATORS
3 Designers
3 Researchers
1 UX Writer
1 Product Managers
1 Product Group Manager
1 Director of UX
OVERVIEW
3 Words: Fast, Lean, and Cross-Functional.
During my summer internship on the Google Maps team, my primary mission was to support key growth goals for Gemini in Navigation on mobile. I did this by exploring strategic directions and executing designs under the guidance of 2 senior-level designers.
I translated high-level product concepts into actionable, user-centered workflows by navigating and clarifying ambiguous problems spaces. In doing so, I took early-stage sketches into dynamic, interactive prototypes by utilizing AI-powered tools to communicate ideas more rapidly and more effectively. These concepts were validated with qualitative user research in partnership with UX Research, UX Writing, Product Management, and Engineering stakeholders, later informing a wider A/B testing release.
This cross-functional collaboration allowed me to advocate for user-centric solutions, iteratively refine the experience against real user and stakeholder feedback, and establish foundational design documentation.
Want to learn more about this project? Leave me a message at ruofuli@uw.edu!
Reflections
1
Different roles carry different priorities.
Of course it makes sense when you hear it, but this was the first time I really understood what that looked like. The extensive cross-functional collaboration this project required not only helped me better understand how to communicate with different stakeholders, but also further grew my empathy for the priorities they maintained, pressures they faced, and perspectives they held.
2
You might create 100 ideas and use none of them, but a design never dies.
The ambiguous design space and agile nature of this project meant much of our design ideation was like throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks. Even though we might not have used 90% of what we came up with, those ideas served us well later down the line and ended up becoming our most successful solutions.
3
Own your designs and believe in them.
Designers are more than just executors of a PM's ideas or an engineer's requirements. Having a voice, with design decisions backed by tangible evidence, helps us hold the bar on quality for first-rate experiences our users deserve.
