Generative Widgets

Defining generative, interactive UI for Google Search

Generative Widgets

Defining generative, interactive UI for Google Search

Generative Widgets

Defining generative, interactive UI for Google Search

Generative Widgets

Defining generative, interactive UI for Google Search
Year
2026
Role
UX Lead
Overview
GenUI Widgets brought generated, interactive interfaces into AI responses on Search, helping people understand concepts through visual, explorable experiences instead of static text alone.
Company
Google
Year
2026
Role
UX Lead
Overview
GenUI Widgets brought generated, interactive interfaces into AI responses on Search, helping people understand concepts through visual, explorable experiences instead of static text alone.
Company
Google
Year
2026
Role
UX Lead
Overview
GenUI Widgets brought generated, interactive interfaces into AI responses on Search, helping people understand concepts through visual, explorable experiences instead of static text alone.
Company
Google
Year
2026
Role
UX Lead
Overview
GenUI Widgets brought generated, interactive interfaces into AI responses on Search, helping people understand concepts through visual, explorable experiences instead of static text alone.
Company
Google
GenUI Widgets were featured at Google I/O 2026. I shaped the demo flow, and produced visual assets used for the showcase.
GenUI Widgets were featured at Google I/O 2026. I shaped the demo flow, and produced visual assets used for the showcase.

Moving beyond the wall of text

Generative AI changed the type of questions Search could answer, but the experience is largely expressed through text. We saw an opportunity to help people understand complex concepts more directly through visual, interactive interfaces.
The challenge was that generated UI had no established playbook. We had an idea of the experience and the quality bar we wanted to meet, but had to learn how to instruct and guide the model to produce coherent, useful interfaces on demand.

Designing through instructions

GenUI shifts the design work from drawing individual screens to articulating the design intent, system, and quality bar that guide generation.
Design principles
I defined how generated widgets should support understanding and control, how they should use visual structure, and what “good” looked like for Search.
System instructions
I partnered closely with engineering to translate UX intent into system instructions: a written interaction model and design system for generated UI. The work was experimental, requiring repeated iteration to reach consistent, quality output.
Rubrics & evaluation
I developed a crit agent to automate widget evaluation against UX quality criteria, helping the system identify which results met the bar, and where improvement was needed.

Live examples

Reflection
This project made the shift in design feel real. Designed screens will remain essential, but generative UI opens a new layer of interaction: interfaces that can be created and adapted around a user’s specific context, intent, and needs. That changes the design work, shifting from defining each screen to defining the rules that shape what gets created. The industry is still early in the shift to generative UI, but it is the most exciting design space I have worked in for years. It is a new medium with so much still to learn, define, and build.
Reflection
This project made the shift in design feel real. Designed screens will remain essential, but generative UI opens a new layer of interaction: interfaces that can be created and adapted around a user’s specific context, intent, and needs. That changes the design work, shifting from defining each screen to defining the rules that shape what gets created. The industry is still early in the shift to generative UI, but it is the most exciting design space I have worked in for years. It is a new medium with so much still to learn, define, and build.
Reflection
This project made the shift in design feel real. Designed screens will remain essential, but generative UI opens a new layer of interaction: interfaces that can be created and adapted around a user’s specific context, intent, and needs. That changes the design work, shifting from defining each screen to defining the rules that shape what gets created. The industry is still early in the shift to generative UI, but it is the most exciting design space I have worked in for years. It is a new medium with so much still to learn, define, and build.
Reflection
This project made the shift in design feel real. Designed screens will remain essential, but generative UI opens a new layer of interaction: interfaces that can be created and adapted around a user’s specific context, intent, and needs. That changes the design work, shifting from defining each screen to defining the rules that shape what gets created. The industry is still early in the shift to generative UI, but it is the most exciting design space I have worked in for years. It is a new medium with so much still to learn, define, and build.
Scott Hobbs