Sebastien Gabriel's official role at Google is an individual contributor who is assigned to assist in interface design. He has worked on many meaningful projects over the years. Perhaps the most memorable component of one of his major projects is the Lonely T-rex game developed with the Chrome design team. The game is beloved by millions everywhere with approximately 270 million players every month around the world. We can reflect on the process by which this game and other features of the Chrome browser were developed through the insights that Gabriel provides into his education and creative process.
With an initial educational focus on multimedia design, Gabriel later went on to take multimedia management classes only to find that he disliked project design but was "Attracted by the more creative part of the multimedia world." He went on to join a Google design team that worked on developing Chrome and ensuring compatibility with devices produced by other companies. Some of the design choices for the "hybrid" Chrome layout are illustrated below. This hybrid layout demonstrates the subtle changes that interface designers are tasked with.
On his creative process Gabriel notes that finds "The process of thinking and writing tasks on a weekly basis to be a good way to reduce cognitive load. It’s freeing." He combined this method of organization and load management with a distinct sense of humor to develop the aforementioned Lonely T-rex game. Gabriel claims that the famed Lonely T-rex game was developed in response to the Chrome team's insistence on combating the lonely feeling of being disconnected from the rest of the world. The game's design was inspired by a desire to play on the idea of living in the prehistoric era with no internet, a joke amongst the team's members. The game was expanded upon from its original design with features like "nighttime sky graphics" and a special birthday event that was available for a limited time.
As a member of a specialized interface design team working under a major company, Gabriel was familiar with the more traditional form of collaboration that we studied rather than more revolutionary forms like adversarial collaboration. Chrome team members commented on this collaborative process for the game stating that game mechanics and stage design were some of the more contested aspects of the project; however, the end result maintained a consistent theme with complementary graphics to deliver an undeniably enjoyable game for those stuck off the internet.
Sources:
https://www.loversmagazine.com/interviews/sebastien-gabriel
https://blog.google/products/chrome/chrome-dino/
Sebastien Gabriel's work on the Chrome browser and the development of the Lonely T-rex game is a fascinating insight into the world of interface design. It's inspiring to see how a small feature of a popular browser can become such a beloved game for millions of people worldwide. Gabriel's creative process is also intriguing, with his combination of organization and humor leading to the development of the Lonely T-rex game. It's refreshing to see how a sense of playfulness can lead to such a successful outcome.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post! I had never heard of Sebastien, and it's great to hear about the man behind the T-Rex game. I appreciate your note about the collaborative process he used as part of its development.
ReplyDeleteThis post and Sebastien Gabriel’s story is quite interesting. Even though Google’s T-Rex game only came out a little over a decade ago, it’s certainly been a part of my internet experience for as long as I can remember. It’s quite funny but also very meaningful that the game appears when we lose connectivity from the internet as though we are in prehistoric times. I think it just goes to show how connected we often are, and without the T-Rex game to distract and entertain us while our systems reconnect, we’d feel even more lonely in an age of ever-advancing technology.
ReplyDeleteI never realized all the thought that was behind such a simple little thing. Funnily enough, I employ a very similar strategy for managing my own task loads. I'm not sure how much of this is reflected in my own creativity, but it clearly has paid off for Sebastian. Also important, here, is his collaboration. Being part of a huge company like Google and able to work with a team and integrate a project into the whole can be stifling, but to find creative outlets amidst the grind is inspiring.
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