Led strategy and design for a scalable UX framework unifying identity verification across Google

Background

When I joined the Payments Identity team in 2021, UX was overwhelmed by fragmented requests from 120+ product teams across Google. Each integration was handled independently, leading to duplicated effort, slow velocity, and inconsistent user experiences.

I recognized this wasn’t just a design challenge—it was a systemic issue involving UX, Product, Engineering, Legal, and Policy. I planted the vision for a configurable identity verification framework that could scale across Google’s ecosystem—from Ads and Cloud to YouTube and Play.

This initiative required shifting from reactive execution to strategic, system-level thinking. The result: a multi-year effort that continues to transform how Google approaches identity verification.


Note: UI details are omitted due to confidentiality. This case study focuses on my leadership in defining strategy, building the team, and driving early momentum.

Problem

As identity needs expanded across Google, the lack of shared infrastructure created three core pain points:

  • Users faced inconsistent and redundant verification flows with little clarity or control

  • Integrators (e.g., Ads, Cloud, Play) were blocked by rigid tools that couldn't meet their evolving requirements

  • PayID (our platform team) spent excessive time rebuilding verification logic and maintaining policy compliance per team

These inefficiencies slowed launches, reduced trust, and prevented teams from scaling effectively.

Approach

To address this, I reframed the challenge from tactical UX support to building a strategic foundation for a scalable identity verification system—one that dynamically adapts to risk, compliance, and product needs across Google. My leadership focused on three pillars:

Vision & Alignment

  • Planted the initial framework concept and aligned with PM, UX, and Engineering leads

  • Collaborated closely with cross functional leads to development strategy and secured leadership buy-in through many reviews with directors and VPs

  • Positioned the framework as a cross-functional infrastructure solution—not just a design system

Team Formation & Resourcing

  • Built and structured a distributed UX team around the framework initiative

  • Reallocated headcount across platform UX teams to support exploration and execution

  • Established weekly Design Jams to mentor ICs through concepting and testing

Operational Planning

  • Led half-year planning cycles and developed a prioritization framework that aligned UX work with PM and Eng OKRs. Grouped similar requests to reduce redundancy, increase velocity, and guide early rollout planning with pilot teams like Ads and Cloud.

  • Partnered closely with cross-functional leads to pilot scalable concepts and guide early rollout plans for Ads and Cloud product areas

This approach not only reshaped our product delivery process—it introduced a new mental model for UX strategy at the platform level.

Expected Impact

While this initiative is still in active development, it's designed to deliver meaningful outcomes across user experience, team efficiency, and organizational scale.

Improved User Experience

  • Consistent and transparent identity verifications across Google surfaces

  • Progressive, contextualized flows tailored to user needs

  • Increased user trust when sharing sensitive information

Accelerated Delivery & Strategic Focus

  • Projected 80% reduction in implementation time using scalable UX and FE components

  • UX, PM, and engineering teams can focus more on innovation, not reinvention

Cross-Org Alignment

  • Framework adopted by 120+ teams, streamlining collaboration across UX, Product, Legal, and Engineering

  • Shared UX and policy logic enable long-term planning over short-term patchwork

© 2025 – KE Lee

© 2025 – KE Lee

© 2025 – KE Lee