Horizon Pathfinding

When Facebook rebranded itself as Meta in late 2021, it committed to defining the next generation of social platforms, beginning with its flagship metaverse product, Horizon Worlds. In an effort to accelerate the realization of that vision, a small team of design leads was formed to chart feasible and impactful directions and projects for the Horizon Worlds product: the Horizon Pathfinding team.

Our work was confidential in nature, but you can click below for more detail about our team's approach and my role as lead Content Designer for the Horizon Pathfinding team.

Our team saw pathfinding as a type of future-leaning navigation. It cleared and marked paths otherwise unknown and, in the process, helped discover and chart potential dead-ends for our product.

We focused on the most ambiguous problem areas, bringing a future-facing lens to them to help our teams move forward with confidence.

We accelerated product teams by helping them shape their own 2-5 year visions, mapping out pathways to success, and inspiring confidence in what they were building, guiding and helping execute those visions along the way.

The core of our process was to focus on three areas of impact for our product and company:

Identifying new opportunities within Horizon and the metaverse

Identify and evangelize product opportunities 2+ years out that are not yet on the radar. Initiate sprints across the entire org and company to explore these areas of development while resolving ambiguity on foreseeable product questions.

Connecting Across Meta

Guide metaverse strategy by collaborating with teams across Reality Labs and Meta's family of apps. This could be from teams that are interested in bringing Horizon into their products, or areas we’re interested in connecting to Horizon and the metaverse. We will take learnings from these collaborations back to Horizon to strengthen our own org’s product roadmaps.

Guiding Beyond Meta

Identify and explore opportunities for Horizon to push beyond internal boundaries, including connections to the Metaverse via devices, apps, platforms and experiences outside the Meta ecosystem.

Beyond areas of impact and focus, we broke work into 4 clear phases, each with exit criteria to progress to the next phase:

Discovery
- We spent most of our time here. It’s where we give definition to our projects, determine scope and requirements and ensure it aligns with our vision and values. That way, we head into work with minimal ambiguity.
Creation
- Creation is messy and we were ready for it. This is where we organize our work, and formulate what we’ll deliver and execute. Our Pathfinding Sandbox is designed to adapt to rapid change and ensure we’re free from the typical blockers.
Circulation
- We made sure nothing from our team was sent into the void and were especially mindful of how ideas travel internally. We strategically planned out a path for our work to circulate and shine.
Follow-up
- Unlike an innovation consultancy, we had the unique ability to continue tracking work after it was delivered and follow up on it. This ensured a greater chance of survival, a better assessment of long-term impact, and opportunities for re-engagement.

While details on the directions we recommended to our company are confidential, here's a high-level look at some of the areas of focus and questions we asked as the Horizon Pathfinding team:

Horizon Cross-Screens

How might users interact with immersive social experiences on 2D interfaces, enabling them to engage in meaningful ways across realities and connect across Meta's family of apps?

AR and XR creation in the Metaverse

What if creating worlds in the metaverse was like being in Star Trek’s Holodeck? What if anyone, on any device, could generate viral experiences? What tools would they need? How do devices merge and collaborate?

Marketless Marketplace

What types of economic models exist that Horizon could employ to encourage creation, innovation, and investment - while minimizing artificial scarcity or socioeconomic stratification?

Reliving memories in the Metaverse

What if instead of thumbing through old photos, you could step inside them? Imagine joining your younger self on the couch, or re-experiencing a meaningful conversation you had with a loved one. Let’s explore how we can unlock the power and potential of reliving memories in the Metaverse.

As lead Content Designer on the Horizon Pathfinding team, I drove the creation of our goals, process and ultimately the pathfinding work we executed on. I established team principles, mission and vision, guided brainstorming sessions, competitive analysis and documentation, and helped produce our working playbook: the living document capturing our people, processes and defined paths presented to Meta leadership. From storyboarding to defining our success, I was one of the founders of the team that helped shape the future vision of our product and company.

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