Alexa Photo Frame
Leading core UX and interaction design for a new Alexa device, from early concepts to a working photo-frame experience.
- 0 to 1 device
- UX design lead
- Design engineering
Project overview
Overview
A frame for everyday life
The first Alexa Photo Frame brought Amazon Photos, Alexa and a new physical device into the same experience. My work covered the core OS UX and Voice Notes, in collaboration with design, research, product and engineering. Amazon announced the device on October 28, 2026. Read the launch announcement.
Role
UX design lead & code prototyping
I led core device UX and interaction design, from research and concepts through detailed UI and working prototypes for stakeholder alignment and real-user testing.
Team: Amazon Photos, Alexa and Devices · Nearly one year
Problem
A quiet object with a rich interaction model
A frame lives in the room for hours and receives attention in moments. Browsing, listening and contributing need to fit around the photographs without turning every glance into a task.
Solution
Photos first, context within reach
I connected ambient viewing, touch discovery and voice into one device experience. Working code made its transitions and edge states tangible enough for the team to evaluate together.
Photos first. Touch to explore.
Motion with a sense of place
One memory. Two sides.
A 700 ms turn. Controls change at the midpoint.
Make room for a new story.
Photos part and settle around the new arrival.
Ask Alexa
Alexa voice feedbackSample search: Apollo
Every photo has a second side
The photo, its notes and its context stay together.
Two portraits. One specific story.
Pairs browse together. Choose one photo to open its notes and context.
Select the photograph
Choose a photo. Keep the pair.
Carry its context forward
The photo and its story, together.
Design in code
Tools behind the prototype
- ReactScreens and state
- TypeScriptTyped interaction models
- MotionSprings and gestures
- Tailwind CSSShared UI styling
- ViteFast local iteration
- ReplitInteractive team reviews
Built for hands-on reviews and user testing.
[Tidjane’s] AI driven prototypes were pivotal to the team understanding complex interactions and made decisions much easier.
Jonathan Shariat on LinkedInPrincipal UX design lead, AmazonPublic launch feedback, with name clarified.
Prototype scope and source versions
The interactive views use the original 1280 × 800 prototype UI. Search and recording are simulated. This is a design prototype, not the shipping device software.
The latest device branch is dated May 7, 2026. The April 22 branch preserves the earlier portrait-pair behavior. The archive includes Voice Notes studies, device settings, Amazon Photos mobile drafts, AMZP-mobile, a responsive mobile demo, a January 14 prototype recording and icon work. Dates identify source revisions, not the project schedule. A separate generic QR generator is outside the Alexa onboarding story.
One pair, two browsing models
Each portrait becomes a card.
The pair stays together.
A shared interface language
Control surfaces
Icon language
Voice notes
Recording and review
Photo signals
Settings inputs
ActiveInactiveBrightnessType with a clear role
Immersive labels 15 px · Timing 13 px · Settings 18 px
Color and contrast
Light controlsWhite at 60%, 80%, 90%
Dark controlsWhite at 15%, 25%
Beyond the main flow
One connected experience
Photos, notes, notifications and voice search.
Explore the working prototype
From prototype to launch
The team behind the frame
Tidjane TallCore UX, Design System, prototypeLinkedIn profile
Xiling WengVoice Notes, UX ResearchLinkedIn profile- Jonathan ShariatDesign leadLinkedIn profile
- Kat EstacioDesign manager and co-leadLinkedIn profile
- Olivia FrederickUser research leadLinkedIn profile
- Atichart PinrutMotion designLinkedIn profile
Daniel AltSearch and More like thisLinkedIn profile- Mairi McKellopMobile UXLinkedIn profile
- Alice ChoiMobile UXLinkedIn profile
With support from Alyssa Guo, Aishwarya Naik, Serguei Orozco, Andrea Gomez and Eric Bogner.
