Responsive, sleek design. Immersive and engaging photography. Microsoft strove to tell a story that connected with their audience in a deeper way, showcasing the life-changing impact these products could have.

In a mere three months, Microsoft designed, built, created content for, and simultaneously launched five complex product websites. By creating a unified web experience crafted from rich, surprising interactions, they could make people feel like they were experiencing the device.

Authentic product photography and responsive design helped people touch, feel and understand the products in a new light, heralding a bold promise:

Microsoft makes the best tools, whether they’re software or hardware, for people who want to do great things.

Microsoft had to deconstruct to reconstruct the entire online experience, ultimately bringing their new products to life. From information architecture to all new content presentation, the sites were redesigned with emphasis on structural and presentational consistency. For a premium storytelling experience, they balanced benefit-driven lifestyle imagery with product features. On each product page, the hero image included an interactive 360-degree product video where users could grab the device and spin it to inspect it. They did this for five unique products, three major launches, and an online experience to support the high-profile announcement itself.

Each of the sites was designed to be fully responsive. The Windows 10 event hub also included a live broadcast of the event and a real-time news feed. All told, the world-wide launch consisted of 1000s of pages, published in over 60 languages.

Through their unified experience, Microsoft generated massive engagement. And Satya Nadella’s announcement, supported by the devices websites, was lauded as a transformative moment for Microsoft, and the first step toward a bright future for the brand, with media coverage from publications like The Verge, Techcrunch, Engaget and more.

Positive Brand Social sentiment increased by 42% in the week of the event

23% uplift in time per usage

80% higher click-to-store conversion for pro model

A more experience-focused hero empowered the product showcased below it, increasing click-through by 80%

1 out of 4 customers visiting the Surface Product Pages wanted to experience the product using the rotator.

These websites weren’t just about devices. They were designed to be living, breathing stories. To be good storytellers, it was imperative that Microsoft deliver brand consistency throughout the user experience. To inspire their audience, and attract them to the devices. That’s why they needed to showcase the five devices as a family, connected by brand and capabilities, all running on the power of Windows 10. Microsoft strove to deliver a smart balance of lifestyle and product imagery, presenting the products in a benefit-driven light. Product storytelling would highlight top tech and bring the devices to the consumer’s attention by showing them what it’s like to own, use, touch and feel the devices beyond the point of purchase. Through features, they could inspire purchase of the devices and elevate their hardware’s profile.

Microsoft’s new CEO, Satya Nadella faced a monumental task: to prove that Microsoft was innovating and could lead the way forward. With his highly anticipated vision being unveiled at the Microsoft Devices event in October of 2015, he needed to prove this fast.

2015 was a crucial turning point for Microsoft. Poised to deliver a suite of new devices –the Surface Pro 4, Surface Book, Microsoft Band, a range of PC Accessories, and the HoloLens – a major hardware launch event was a bold move into a hyper-competitive environment. And the world was watching.

There was no room for error. Microsoft’s current online experiences would not stand up to the intense scrutiny. They needed a unified brand to introduce their devices. They needed one vision and one story for Microsoft. The solution? Launch a web experience as compelling as the devices themselves.