An interview with Monique Chatterjee of Xbox Design Lab about the creative process and the era of user customization in gaming.

When one stops to consider the infinite hours and now multitude of generations that have spent gripping a video game controller, one suddenly recognizes the ubiquity of the gaming controller as one of the great unheralded success stories of digital era industrial design. A tightrope of intricate electronics housed within an ergonomic form factor, controllers require a level of durability to withstand both the thrills of victories and agonies of defeat of its users few product match.
In the current two horse race between video game consoles, Microsoft’s Xbox controller has proven itself every bit the definition of a durable design, both literally and figuratively. Every iteration reflects the evolution of gaming and gamer (this animated gif transitioning across 20 years of Xbox controllers illustrates these changes), and today we’ve entered the era of user customization. Monique Chatterjee ? principal designer at Xbox
Microsoft answered the call for customized customer experience with the launch of Xbox Design Lab, a project at initial mention implies some sort of skunkworks research from the gaming brand, a la Xerox PARC. But in reality, its purpose is more akin to product customization services like NikeiD with sneakers or Fender and guitars, introducing the option for gamers to put their personal stamp onto ...