The Linear Approach to Designing Flawless Voice UX
Many expect that designing for voice products is like riding a bike with training wheels on. It’s simple right? It’s not like we have a visual UI to design for with a touchscreen right? I still remember completely underestimating the power of designing a dynamic conversation flow that makes it seem like you aren’t even talking to a computer that only understands JSON. In my brief experience with voice UX design, I have discovered many subtle complexities and fallacies that has caused several of my own voice prototypes to crash and burn. After taking a step back and humbly accepting my defeats, I decided to keep trying different design approaches while closely documenting my failures. It’s quite simple to overlook the importance of a meticulously crafted voice application until the poor app store ratings will say otherwise. That is why my objective is to share some of the mistakes/ideas that I have had that has helped me to develop better user experiences for my voice applications.
Think simple, its what voice assistants are used for:
It’s always cool to see skills(I use application and the word skill interchangeably) that implement unique functionality such as in-skill purchases or having complex infrastructure that makes it seem like you are always having a unique experience every-time you use the application. You might soon find in the testing phase that your grandmother might have no clue on earth how to navigate out of the introduction message. For MVP purposes, I always gravitate towards the simplest experience possible. These voice assistance were created to simplify your life, so its best to leverage that philosophy to your own advantage. The minimalist philosophy perfectly segues to my next point: The Linear Model
Straight to the point:
Remember in Algebra class when they taught you the equation y=mx+b or a line? That’s easily one of the first topics you are taught when you are on your journey to navigate through the jungles of complex mathematics. As in voice design, it’s important to have a straight to the point philosophy behind your application. This means that the functionality of the voice application should align with a simple linear model as shown with a practical use case in the diagram below:
Its simple, but yet gets the job done. I have seen extremely complex user engagements where it would be much easier for the user to pull out their iPhone and complete the task on a mobile interface. Just know that if the phone can do it better, then it might be time to go back to the drawing board.
The One Breath Test:
Amazon preaches it, and the drunk man fears it. Make sure that when you are designing applications that the responses your assistant will give can be said as if you were to say a statement in one breach. You wouldn't want an eager child to play your adventure game and then instantly become disengaged when your Alexa lectures him on the navigation of the game. You are better off teaching the user navigation as the skill progresses through a linear model approach. Make the experience less like your assistant is trying to sing the entire alphabet and more like calling your dogs name(considering you name your dog like almost everybody else these days).
Load your application with subtle experience boosters:
This piece of advice covers a whole umbrella of philosophies that I try to apply to my voice application today. Let the user feel special by doing things such as repeating their name in conversation and frequently asking them what they would like to do in the skill to keep them engaged. One of the most important UX design fundamentals in voice applications is creating a first experience that will bring the user back for future uses. There are some pretty bad skills that I have used in the past that only sit in the graveyard of Amazon skills that I have forgot to disable. It was all because my initial experience with the skill was not memorable and had no grab factor that made me want to come back. Sure their dialog flow was fine, I just didn’t think that the skill had any practical use in my everyday life. Remember that these users don’t just have this screen they are constantly looking at that reminds them of the skills at their disposal at all times. That means that you not only have to have the user remember the name of your application, but they also have to remember the words that are required to start the application. Impressing the user with cool functionality is one thing, but getting them to continuously use your skill solely depends on their first experience. Implementing small easter egg features that are at the convenience of the user can be the difference between the application that everybody forgets and the voice application that is used daily. I promise you that it pays to be nice in the world of voice UX design.
Jimmy! Sit down and eat your spinach!
As I close out on my final piece of advice, I really just want you to remember one thing that I find the most crucial: Design your experience as if you are creating the skill for a young child who barely manages to sit still. If you can successfully do this, then you will have an engaging skill and a demographic of happy parents.
Thank you for taking the time to read my article, if you like what you see here and you would like to read me, shoot me a quick follow. I would be happy to take you on my arduous journey through the realm of voice development and design.
