Joel Lithgow

Dear Hiring Manager,

I am writing to express my interest in the UX Engineer position on Chrome Desktop in Seattle. The emphasis on motion graphics, prototyping, and bridging design-engineering collaboration describes exactly how I work—and where I do my best work.

Motion and interactive graphics are central to my practice. I've built a WebGL shader playground with real-time parameter controls, created generative art systems using p5.js and custom GLSL, and implemented physics-based animations for editorial storytelling. These aren't side projects—they represent the problems I find most engaging and the skills I've developed most deeply. When I saw 'SVG, HTML5 Canvas, and animation using JavaScript and CSS' in the preferred qualifications, I recognized my own toolkit.

I bring seven years of experience at California College of the Arts, where I progressed from QA Specialist to Interaction Designer to UX Designer/Developer. This progression gives me something valuable for prototyping work: I understand the full journey from concept to production. I can build a wide range of prototypes quickly because I've internalized both design thinking and engineering constraints.

My QA foundation means I build prototypes that actually work—across browsers, across devices, with attention to edge cases. I recently implemented Playwright-based automation for complex CMS workflows, demonstrating my systematic approach to quality. When collaborating with other engineers on final implementation and polish, I can speak their language because I've done the testing work that catches problems early.

I'm also an accessibility advocate. At CCA, I led a systemic improvement when I identified that our brand's teal link color failed WCAG contrast requirements. I worked cross-functionally to establish new guidelines that improved accessibility across all digital properties. Meeting accessibility standards isn't a checkbox for me—it's how I think about design.

I'm currently based in Oakland but would relocate to Seattle for this position. The opportunity to prototype features for Chrome—exploring ideas that could reach billions of users—is exactly the kind of challenge I want.

Thank you for considering my application. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my experience in motion graphics, prototyping, and bridging design-engineering collaboration could contribute to Chrome Desktop.