CC

Lake Forest, California

Christian Charsagua

Senior Product Designer. Founder. Designing for flow at the intersection of utility and delight.

Say hi See the work

01 — About

I scale digital products at the intersection of utility and delight.

Over a decade of experience leading design for products that have become staples of the modern mobile experience — most notably Gboard, Google Podcasts, and Google Lens. I believe great design balances rigorous systems thinking with visionary leadership.

I'm at my best solving ambiguous problems and building high-impact teams that put the user's voice above all else. Currently architecting a venture focused on the "studio collective" model of thought and space — reclaiming human connection and flow in a digital world.

Love what you do, embrace it.

02 — Portfolio

A decade of work, shipping for billions.

Flagship launches from my decade at the intersection of utility and delight. Each of these shipped to a global audience — across Android, iOS, and the broader Google ecosystem.

Emoji Kitchen & GenAI — expressive combinations and generative stickers on Gboard and Pixel Studio

Google·2018 – 2025·Lead Interaction Designer & GenAI Strategy

Emoji Kitchen & GenAI (Android)

Architected the Browse system for 100K+ Emoji Kitchen combinations and integrated GenAI across the Google expression stack.

Led design for the expressive surfaces of Gboard — the keyboard shipped on over a billion Android devices. Shipped Emoji Kitchen Browse, validated new GenAI experiences for Google I/O, and led the Pixel Studio sticker tab — partnering across Gemini, Labs, and Pixel Studio to define unified frameworks for image and sticker generation.

  • Emoji Kitchen
  • Browse System
  • GenAI Strategy
  • Pixel Studio
  • Sticker Generation
  • Google I/O
  • Gemini · Labs
Read the case study

Problem

Gboard's expression library had outgrown the original UI. Emoji Kitchen alone had exploded to 100,000+ combinations — impossible to navigate, impossible to discover. At the same time, GenAI was arriving: Pixel Studio, Gemini, and Labs were each shipping expression features with no shared framework.

Approach

Two parallel tracks. On Gboard, I designed Emoji Kitchen Browse — a new surface that turned an overwhelming combinatorial space into something playful and navigable. Across Google, I led a cross-product alignment (xPA) with Pixel Studio, Gemini, and Labs so the expression story would feel like one product, not four.

Outcome

Emoji Kitchen now drives 60%+ of all sticker shares on Gboard — 386M weekly share volume and growing.

  • v1 launched December 2024 — featured in Pixel Drop & Android Spotlight
  • Consistent 11% YoY growth (Mar 2024 → Mar 2025)
  • Drove major lift in "Expressive DAU" across Gboard
  • Pixel Studio sticker tab shipped — December 2024
Google Podcasts Android app, Sleep Timer, cross-device sync, and Search integration

Google·2018 – 2020·Vertical Lead & Interaction Designer

Google Podcasts

Directed UX for the Android Podcasts app — +186% DAU and drove the first-ever ecosystem integration of podcasts within Google Search.

Shipped cross-device syncing and Sleep Timer — utilities that made podcasts portable across a listener's life. Worked with engineering to integrate podcasting features into broader Google Search surfaces, bringing the medium in front of billions of daily queries.

  • Android App
  • Cross-device Sync
  • Sleep Timer
  • Discover Tab
  • Web Player
  • Search Integration
Read the case study

Problem

Google Podcasts had a retention problem. Android-only, subscription-only, missing the small utilities — sleep timers, auto-downloads — that power listeners treated as table stakes. No desktop experience, no story for cross-device listening, no discovery path.

Approach

Led UX across four launches: Sleep Timer, Auto-Download, a Discover tab with topic pages, and a web player with cross-device sync. In parallel, integrated podcasting features into Google Search results.

Outcome

Every core metric moved, and moved hard.

  • +186% DAU (215K → 615K)
  • +115% MAU (1.06M → 2.17M)
  • +400% listen time (400K → 2M+ hours)
  • +80% installs · 5M+ total · 4.53★ Play Store
Gboard launching on iOS with search, GIFs, and expressive features

Google·2015 – 2016·Critical Interaction Designer (Founding Team)

Gboard for iOS

Brought Google's most-loved keyboard to the App Store.

Launched Gboard for iOS, integrating search, GIFs, and Gboard's expressive toolkit into the iOS input experience — making Google-powered input a cross-platform reality for millions of iPhone users.

  • iOS Launch
  • Search in Keyboard
  • GIFs
  • Cross-platform
Read the case study

Problem

iOS keyboard extensions came with hard constraints: no horizontal scrolling, no webviews, a strict height budget, and a sandbox that blocked most of the patterns we relied on inside Android. We had to deliver Search, GIFs, and the expressive toolkit inside those limits — without making the keyboard feel like a neutered port.

Approach

Designed the Modular Small Card framework — a compact, vertically stacked results pattern that worked inside every iOS constraint while still feeling generous. Built in a two-week sprint; later adopted by Allo and Gboard Android.

Outcome

Gboard became one of Google's highest-visibility iOS launches.

  • 1.8M downloads in Q2 2016 · 548K DAU at launch
  • Webby 2017 — Best User Experience (Services & Utilities)
  • Product Hunt — Tech Product of the Year
  • Time Magazine — 50 Best Apps
Joyride Podcasting — crowdfunding platform and foundational Android Auto launch partner; acquired by Google in 2015

Joyride, Inc·2014 – 2015·Founding Lead Product Designer

Joyride Podcasting

Led end-to-end product design and strategy — resulting in Joyride's acquisition by Google in 2015.

Adapted a mobile-first architecture for the automotive context and launched Joyride as a foundational podcasting partner for the Android Auto debut. Established the company's design system and launched a responsive marketplace for podcast monetization.

  • Acquired by Google
  • Android Auto
  • Design System
  • Monetization Marketplace
Read the case study

Problem

Joyride was a seed-stage zero-to-one: no design system, no monetization infrastructure, and no established patterns for podcasting inside the automotive context. Android Auto was arriving, and we needed to be ready with a product that met in-car safety standards while still feeling alive on mobile and web.

Approach

As sole designer, owned the full stack: iOS, Android, responsive web at getjoyride.com, the design system, the transaction flows for podcast monetization, and the Android Auto integration. Simplified the interaction model to meet in-car safety bars without losing the product's personality.

Outcome

Joyride shipped as a foundational partner for the Android Auto debut — and was acquired by Google shortly after.

  • Acquired by Google — 2015
  • Android Auto — Launch Partner
  • Full stack, sole designer — mobile, web, Auto

Also shipped across Gboard: Proactive Expression Moment, Emojify, Contextual Suggestions, Access Points Customization, Access Bar, Emoji Voice Dictation, and the Emoji Bar. Contributor to Google Lens.

03 — Experience

The Journey

  1. Dec 2025 — Present

    Founder · Stealth Startup

    Building curated environments and haptic-driven product experiences that reclaim human connection and flow.

  2. Jan 2025 — Dec 2025

    Senior Interaction Designer, Android Input (GenAI) · Google

    Design vision and long-term roadmap for GenAI expression across the Google ecosystem.

  3. Oct 2018 — Dec 2024

    Senior Interaction Designer, Expression & Gboard · Google

    Led the expressive program on Gboard. Launched Gboard for iOS. Contributed to Google Lens.

  4. Oct 2015 — Oct 2018

    Product Designer, Google Podcasts & Search · Google

    Directed UX for Android Podcasts. Shipped cross-device sync and Sleep Timer; integrated podcasts into Google Search.

  5. May 2014 — Sep 2015

    Lead Designer · Joyride, Inc

    End-to-end product design and strategy. Acquired by Google in 2015 to bolster Android's audio ecosystem.

  6. Aug 2012 — Jun 2014

    UI Designer · Simlogico

    Designed SpellTactics and Airia from concept to release across Windows 8 and iOS.

  7. Jul 2011 — Dec 2013

    Visual Designer (Contractor) · PIMCO

    Designed deep-level user interfaces for financial analysts and portfolio managers. Shipped across Silverlight and iOS.

  8. Jun 2011 — Dec 2013

    Visual Designer · Velosys

    Enterprise mobile apps focused on rich data visualization and information processing.

  9. Jan 2011 — Jun 2011

    Graphic Designer · Axoro

    Advertisements, branding, and packaging for restaurant and hotel clients.

04 — Awards & Patents

Recognition and filed inventions.

Award · 2017

The Webby Awards

Apps & Software

  • Best User Experience
  • Services & Utilities

Recognized for Gboard — one of Google's highest-visibility iOS launches.

Filed Patents

Google · 4 inventions

2020 · Google

Integrated Search Interface

Defined the core interaction model for accessing Google Search directly within a virtual keyboard (Gboard).

2019 · Google

Predictive Input Generation

A system for generating context-aware input suggestions and next-word predictions based on user intent.

2019 · Google

Content Suggestion Engine

Logic for suggesting rich media (GIFs/Stickers) based on conversational context.

2018 · Google

Gesture Input Correction

Novel methods for error correction during continuous glide typing.

05 — Signals

Skills / Proficiencies

Design

  • Product Design
  • Interaction Design
  • Prototyping
  • Design Systems
  • Motion
  • Visual Design

Focus areas

  • Generative AI UX
  • Expressive Communication
  • Input & Conversational Design
  • 0→1 Product
  • Cross-Platform Systems

Ways I work

  • Design Strategy
  • Cross-Functional Leadership
  • Rapid Prototyping
  • Research Synthesis
  • Mentorship

06 — Say hi

Let's make something that feels human.

I'm always up for a conversation — whether it's about design, founders' work, or something you're building. Drop a note below and I'll get back to you.