3 Things I learnt about VUI design from Google Home Mini
Okay Google, Bring The Beat In.
I was lucky enough to win myself a Google Home Mini from the Google Donut Shop event at the Westfield Shopping Mall last week. Here are 3 things I learnt from using the smart speaker/home assistant in the past week.
1. There is no need to learn anything new
The device/technology was very intuitive to use, the set up guide is only a single sheet with two instructions written on it: How to Power on the device, and download the Google Home App.
From the set up to commands, there was no need of an onboarding process, I found myself quite familiar with use of the technology. Being an avid user of Siri on my iPhone, I use voice commands quite frequently, mostly for my day to day functions such as setting alarm, reminders, and for directions … etc.
I realised I have already been trained by Siri on how to interact with a smart assistant. As people, we learnt to click and type, but we were born to speak. Using voice interactions and commands meant that I did not have to learn a new set of design patterns or a new interface to use this device.
2. Personality first vs user goal first
Through the many conversations I had with Google’s Assistant, I found that it’s replies were more practical than other bots I’ve come across. What I mean by that is - Google’s Assistant is straight to the point, it is not there to tell you a funny joke, and do not expect sassy responses. Let me compare Siri and Assistant’s responses as an example:
Siri:
Google Assistant:
Me: Hey Google, what time is it?
Assistant: 23:17 (Twenty Three, Seventeen).
People project human-like traits onto everything, therefore I understand the importance of giving personality to a voice assistant product. After all, personas and tone of voice play a key role in how the product is perceived. But how do you convey that personality, and what value does the extra traits add to the user’s experience?
I believe it is more important to design with the focus on task completion, how to efficiently at guide users to a decision, then think about designing a way for the personality to shine through.
3. The mobile app user experience still very much matters
While using my Google Home Mini this week, I spent a lot of time struggling with setting up personalised voice commands (Also known as ‘Shortcuts’). All I wanted to do was to get the speaker to play Canned Heat by Jamiroquai when I enter the room and say “Queue entrance music.”
It was so difficult to do, I had to ask for help on the Google Support Forum, where I was told to download a separate app called Google Assistant. To set up and use shortcuts, I had to:
Open Google Home App -> Click on the burger menu -> Click on “More Settings” -> *Which then opens the Google Assistant App* -> Click on “Blue Drawer” icon on the top right corner -> *Which takes me to an explore page, till this day I do not know what to use this page for* -> Click on the three dots (…) on the top right corner -> Click on “Settings” which is different to “Google App Settings” -> Scroll down to find “Shortcuts” hidden between the “Reminders” and “Calls on speakers” functions.
My response to that:
It still frustrates me why a functionality as important as setting up my personal commands to a voice assistant was hidden behind so many layers and clicks. Although the interaction with the Google Home Speaker has been delightful, my experiences with the Google Home mobile app has been quite the opposite.
While designing for voice/conversational interfaces like a wearable tech, and smart speakers, we (designers) need to understand that the VUI is only part of a larger ecosystem of interactions. The mobile app experience is still very much there, and matters to the overall user experience.
These are the top 3 things I learnt while using the Google Home Mini this week. I have other interesting observations related to conversational context management to share, but they will require more research and testing. I hope to share those with you all in the next article!
Thank you for reading. If you want to collaborate, talk about UX, or just want to say hello, feel free drop me an email at anson.cw.wong@gmail.com or connect via Linkedin.
