Personalization at Scale
Building the backend for Microsoft's custom controller platform
Impact
Enabled millions of custom controller configurations with real-time pricing
Technologies Used
Overview
As part of my time at Gorilla Group, I served as Enterprise Solutions Architect for Microsoft's Xbox Design Lab replatforming initiative — a large-scale effort to enable next-generation controller customization for Xbox gamers worldwide.
The project's goal was to move the existing Design Lab experience out of the Microsoft Store ecosystem and onto a dedicated Magento 2 (Adobe Commerce Cloud) platform to gain flexibility, expand customization capabilities, and deliver a fully immersive 3D design experience.
The Challenge
While Microsoft Store handled traditional e-commerce well, it couldn't support the extreme personalization logic required for the Design Lab. The Xbox team needed:
- •Real-time 3D configuration with thousands of part and color combinations
- •A dynamic SKU taxonomy that reflected component compatibility rules
- •Deep integrations with Microsoft's fulfillment APIs, Digital River for global transactions, and Spectrum for the 3D controller configurator
- •Full Azure SSO integration for users signing in with their Microsoft accounts
- •Multi-region support for languages, currencies, and international pricing
It wasn't just a storefront — it was a product experience engine for millions of global gamers.
The Approach
As the Enterprise Solutions Architect, I owned the high-level technical design and documentation that guided both Microsoft's internal developers and Gorilla Group's implementation team.
Architecture & Systems Design
- ✓Designed the full end-to-end architecture connecting Adobe Commerce Cloud, Spectrum 3D Configurator, Digital River, Azure SSO, and Microsoft's fulfillment APIs
- ✓Produced detailed enterprise architecture diagrams, data flow maps, and field mapping documentation covering all API integrations and business processes
- ✓Aligned integration patterns with Microsoft's compliance and security standards
Custom Controller Experience
- ✓Worked with Spectrum's 3D engine to embed a real-time configurator directly in Magento product pages
- ✓Designed the data model to support thousands of part SKUs while maintaining performance and ensuring compatibility between controller components
- ✓Collaborated with Microsoft to adapt their proprietary SKU taxonomy into Magento's product-attribute framework
Social & Community Features
- ✓Supported design of a social sharing feature, allowing users to publish their custom controllers to a community feed
- ✓Architected data handling to support thousands of saved designs, user votes, and design duplication linked to Xbox Gamer Tags
Globalization & SSO
- ✓Guided implementation of Azure Active Directory Single Sign-On for unified login with Microsoft credentials
- ✓Architected the internationalization plan for multiple regions and currencies using Magento store views and localized content
- ✓Ensured proper translation workflows and content imports across all supported languages
Results
- ✓Successfully launched Xbox Design Lab on Adobe Commerce Cloud, introducing a high-performance, flexible platform that supported full 3D customization and global transactions
- ✓Delivered a fully integrated ecosystem connecting Spectrum, Digital River, Azure SSO, and Microsoft fulfillment APIs
- ✓Enabled a new layer of user engagement through sharable, votable controller designs tied to Xbox Gamer Tags
- ✓Empowered Microsoft's internal teams with clear documentation, architectural diagrams, and scalable integration blueprints for ongoing expansion
- ✓Project celebrated as a major cross-team milestone, bringing together Gorilla Group, Microsoft, Spectrum, and Digital River for a highly visible global launch
Technology Stack
Xbox Design Lab proved what's possible when creativity meets architecture. We built a platform capable of handling thousands of unique product configurations — and millions of gamers worldwide.
Key Takeaways
- ✓Creativity meets architecture: complex personalization requires thoughtful technical design
- ✓Enterprise architecture requires comprehensive integration mapping and detailed documentation
- ✓3D configurators (Spectrum) can be successfully embedded in e-commerce platforms
- ✓Dynamic SKU taxonomies enable complex product compatibility rules at scale
- ✓Global commerce requires careful multi-language, multi-currency, and compliance planning
- ✓SSO integration (Azure AD) provides seamless experience for existing Microsoft account holders
- ✓Social sharing features drive engagement, community building, and organic marketing
- ✓Cross-team collaboration (Gorilla Group, Microsoft, Spectrum, Digital River) is essential for complex integrations
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