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  Casually Speaking Interview: Libby Donovan

March 13, 2007
Casually Speaking: Libby Donovan

Welcome to Casually Speaking – an interview series that spotlights the fantastic designers, artists, and developers who make MSN^® Games such a great gaming site!

You've probably noticed the MSN Games Web site is looking better than ever, with plenty of cool new features! This week we speak with Libby Donovan, a talented designer whose hard work and leadership made the site redesign a reality. Libby will talk about her career experiences, as well as some things our users can look forward to in the near future.

MSN Games: Thanks for sitting down with us, Libby. What’s your job with the MSN Games team?

Libby D: I’m a “User Experience Lead” – that’s an industry term for someone whose job it is to maintain a great and consistent user experience across products or platforms. Certainly the redesign of MSN Games is an example of what I do. Another good example is making sure a customer has the same fun experience when we launch a game both on the Web site and Windows Live™ Messenger. This can include everything from visual design to user interface design to branding. The “lead” part of my job involves managing a wonderful team of talented artists and designers.

MSN Games: What made you interested in a career as a graphic artist? Did you love designing things from an early age?

Libby D: I think I got started in design by just noticing things. Even as a kid, I loved visiting certain places because of a building's style or the typeface on a business sign. I was lucky to grow up in Los Angeles – an international city that has lots of history but also has some very futuristic elements. Some favorite places that my parents used to take me to included the Capitol Records building, Disneyland, and old Hollywood haunts like the Brown Derby and The Formosa Cafe.

I used to hoard office supplies like rub-off letters and white out, and I've always had an unexplainable love for manual typewriters. The first thing I remember designing was a newsletter for my Girl Scout troop. At the time I thought we really needed a newsletter, but honestly, I think I just wanted to use my rub-off letters. My parents wanted me to do something dependable when I grew up. They recommended I study English instead of art so I could always go into teaching. After graduating with an English degree from Mills College in Oakland, I thought I would go work at a magazine. Then the Internet came along and suddenly there was this exciting new medium that brought together my interests in art, design, and writing. Best of all, creating a Web site was something that I could do by myself.

MSN Games: Rumor has it you have the highest Xbox Live® Gamerscore on the Design team.

Libby D: Ha! I suppose this is true. I've been into video games as long as I can remember. You have to understand though that as a little girl, I wasn't going to go stand in line behind 5 teenage boys who were already heroes at the latest arcade game. Then a kid on my block got an Atari 2600 and it was all over. I begged my parents nonstop for an Intellivision and they finally gave in one Christmas. These days you can find me playing Viva Piñata, Xbox Live Arcade, and of course casual game like SCRABBLE® Blast, Bejeweled 2, and Mozaki Blocks.

MSN Games: So how did you make the leap from being interested in Web design/video gaming to working at MSN Games?

Libby D: This is going to sound weird, but I have tonsillitis to thank. I got a terrible case of it in 1996 and spent a month recuperating in my little apartment. I asked my now-husband if he could hook his computer up to the Internet so I had something to do, and I slowly taught myself HTML. Every day I learned some new trick until one night my husband said, “You know, you could probably get a job doing this.” About a year later, I was working as web developer at a small start-up in San Francisco. I eventually moved to the Seattle area and took a job working at MSN Entertainment, where I created Web content for new music or movies, or special events like the Oscars. Two years ago, I heard about my current job at MSN Games from a friend. I think it helped that I brought a different perspective to the team as a woman who loves to play games. I also think my interest in user-centered design helped too, as a big part of my job has been making the Web site easier to use and making it easier for users to get into games.

MSN Games: What's a typical day like for you?

Libby D: There is no typical day! I've had past jobs where I knew exactly what I was going to that day, but that's not the case anymore. At any given time I'm discussing new projects with managers and product teams from across Microsoft Casual Games, putting out fires, being an advocate for the customer in our user experience work, writing and answering a lot of emails, you name it. Even though I'm now an art director instead of an artist, I still like to keep one project for myself so that I can stay in design.

Most importantly, I try to create a great environment where my team can be happy and do their best work in, as well as be an advocate for their passions. I like to joke that my biggest challenge is trying to stop talking long enough for my team to get work done!  

MSN Games: Could you talk about some of the things your team has done recently? How about upcoming projects?

Libby D: My current project is super top secret, as are some of the things the rest of the team is working on. Let's just say we're continuing to look at ways to bring a better user experience to the Web site, Messenger, Xbox Live Arcade, and emerging technologies. Some of the things the Design team has recently done include creating the Badges system and completely redesigning the Web site. MSN Games has changed a lot in the past six months, and we're continuing to look at new ways of providing ease-of-use to customers. For example, users can look forward to improvements to the game browser in the near future.

MSN Games: What's it like holding a "creative" job in Microsoft's high-tech environment? What do you like the most about your job?

Libby D: I'm sort of atypical for someone who works in user experience, since I come from more of a liberal arts background. But I love technology, so getting a chance to mix it with art and design is fantastic. The work we do is enjoyed by millions of people internationally. Games bring joy to people and help people relax, if only for a quick game of UNO®. When I think about my impact or effect on the world, I can completely rectify myself to the fact that this is what I do for a living. Of course the challenges are those you’d find anywhere; it is still a job and there are headaches. But if it was easy I don’t think it would be as rewarding.

MSN Games: Are there any artists, movies, designs, that particularly influence your work?

Libby D: I find I'm influenced by art that tends to be slightly childlike, surreal, and has an edge to it. Some of my favorite artists currently are Camille Rose Garcia, Mark Ryden, and Tara McPherson.

With movies, I love the current American auteurs like Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, David Lynch and Sofia Coppola. I felt very influenced by Sofia’s “Marie Antoinette." I am also a sucker for anything with great set design and/or (comic actor) Steve Carell.

MSN Games: What are your hobbies/interests outside of work?

Libby D: Gaming, reading, movies, snapping photos. I am working on a family archiving project after unearthing about 2,000 photos of my family from the early 1900s to the 1980s.  Many hours a week you can find me hunched over a slide scanner and 60-year-old negatives. I also write and record music and am working on a novel.  If you know me, you’re laughing right now because I’ve been stuck on the book's ending for a year and a half. So between the novel, the album I’m finishing, and the archiving, I’m pretty set for hobbies.

Thanks Libby for taking the time to talk about your job and your experience working with the MSN Games Design team!

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