Window Management System

Overview

As Amazon moved to build its own operating system, window management became a critical layer of the stack. The challenge was enabling multiple applications and system surfaces to coexist—stacked, side-by-side, or overlaid—while remaining predictable, performant, and visually coherent.

Role

Lead designer for the window management model. Defined system-level rules for layout, focus, and hierarchy. Partnered with platform and application engineering teams. Established contracts enabling coordination across processes.

System / Work

The work focused on creating a governed windowing framework at a high level of the OS—one that could coordinate applications that did not have direct visibility into each other.

Key aspects included directional communication between layers, z-order and priority rules, support for glassmorphic background treatments, and a responsive grid system enabling multiple applications to run concurrently across screen configurations.

Because processes were isolated, the system relied on clear contracts and signals rather than shared state, allowing complex layouts without breaking encapsulation or performance guarantees.

Outcome

Enabled predictable multi-window experiences at the OS level. Allowed advanced visual treatments without compromising stability. Made concurrent applications viable through clear spatial and behavioral rules. Provided a durable foundation for scalable, responsive layouts.

Once concurrency and spatial rules were established at the system level, the focus shifted to how information could surface globally without breaking application boundaries.