Why I’m joining Google

I’ve been a Voice User Interface designer for almost 25 years. Most recently, I was consulting for small and large companies to define strategies and experiences including designing enterprise chatbots, designing a first smart speaker offering, and creating natural ways to interact with mixed reality and virtual reality worlds.
I’m trading in all the advantages of being a consultant — the variability in projects, and flexibility in schedule — to roll up my sleeves and join Google. Here’s why:
Go to the source
As a consultant, I worked on many different projects with clients, in most cases relying on third party technology to create new experiences. Here’s the thing — whenever we truly want to create something new that pushes boundaries, there are always dependencies on the platform, or on the technology. You need to be pretty close to the tech to help make changes to it. Clients try to build on top of it, or build around it. By working at Google I can help pave the way of the future, at the source.
Make it easier for everyone
Voice and conversational interfaces are exploding. It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come over the years, but at the same time we’re just getting started. We were held back in the past by processing power, embedding wake words, and cloud latency. What’s holding us back now? I believe, in part, we need to invest more in design. We need better ways of establishing and sharing design principles and standards, and easier ways to translate design to code. I look at the Google Conversation Design Guidelines and see the incredible work being done to make it easier for everyone to design. If this is what is currently available externally, one can imagine the work being done internally.
Hardware is hard
I’ve worked with hardware for many years, designing for Bluetooth headsets and speakers, fitness trackers, smart clothing, kitchen appliances and autonomous vehicles. There’s an incredible opportunity when a company can design hardware and software together, as if they were two dance partners, each one sometimes taking the lead. I believed in the missions of the companies I worked for: to help people be healthier, cook more, make music portable or get back time. But many of these hardware companies failed — a grand mission does not a hardware experience make; often failing because of the investment and expertise it takes to produce the hardware itself. It’s not that I think we need more stuff but I believe our virtual assistants can help reduce friction in our lives, bring music easily to our homes, educate, translate and support us. Eventually virtual assistants will go off and do more for us, à la Google Duplex. Combining that work with protecting privacy and accessibility, has encouraged me to pair my expertise with Google resources to work together.
Lastly, I’m excited to join so many of the founders of the industry both in design and engineering; former colleagues and industry veterans, as well as newcomers. If I look back over my career thus far, the theme that ties it all together is always believing in the mission and working with great people. If you are in the industry and want to go to the source, please consider joining us!
Thank you to Cathy Pearl and Jon Bloom for feedback on this post.
