Smart speakers in India: How ‘desi’ can they become?

Photo by Lukas on Unsplash

Time and again, science fiction has broached the idea of a virtual man-Friday. Fast forward to 2018 and the idea of machines having a humane quality isn’t a work of fiction anymore. Devices are becoming ‘smarter’ by the day; we have smart TVs, smart phones, smart lights, smart speakers, and even smart virtual assistants.

Google’s Home and Amazon’s Echo devices are making a huge uproar in the Indian markets, with their catchy taglines like ‘Make Google do it’ and ‘Just Ask (Alexa)’ that hint strongly about these devices’ capacities to help out in routine chores.

Are smart home speakers really helpful?

An exploratory research that we conducted revealed that, these smart devices were being used as extravagant stereo systems. Once the novelty factor wore off, users were unsure of how to expand the usage of the device.

There seems to be a gap between what the devices have to offer and their usage.

1. Far from the ultimate solution to druggery

Even though a ‘smart’ speaker offers a way to manage and keep track of daily tasks without the risk of screen fatigue, it is not the need of the hour.

According to Statista.com, more than 75% of Indians are Android users with smart assistants built into their phones. A smart phone is capable of doing the same, without any additional investment into a smart speaker.

2. Entertainment platform or a music streaming device?

A smart ‘speaker’ is also an entertainment platform, however current usage in Indian households is very much centered (if not limited) around music & entertainment. Jokes and games seem to loose their charm after the first few days.

3. Indian English is a whole other language!!

Both Amazon and Google have been working on localizing the accent to suit the Indian ear but accent is just one part of the story. Some other important aspects to consider:

• Support Indian Colloquial English: English is an acquired skill for most Indians. Hence, there are bound to be mistakes in choice of words or framing of requests. This is just a short term fix; the long term ask is support for Indian languages.
• Provide local content & services: The idea is to provide more value & greater convenience through integration of localized content and services. Amazon Echo has a healthy lead with their ability to book an Ola (Ride Hailing service) or order food from Zomato, or shop on Amazon. However, users like multiple options for every service category for example food ordering.

4. Home Automation — Neither effortless nor cheap!!

Google Home and Amazon Echo devices are being widely promoted as a platform for ushering in home automation. On the flip side, automation is not off the shelf and requires expertise to retrofit; not to speak of the additional costs.

5. Personal assistants can talk, but are they ready to learn and adapt?

Even though the conversational aspect of the interaction is still nascent, the device is considered novel for it’s ability to provide assistance in a manner most natural to humans, through voice.

However, there are certain limitations at the moment, which obstruct the idea of seeking effortless assistance.

• ‘Portability’ conundrum: Portability trumps assistance, a recurring question users ask is “what is the point of having the device talk to me if I can’t carry it anywhere I want?”
• Always plugged in: Power outages are a common occurrence in most Indian cities, so a device that needs to be plugged in 24 x 7 becomes useless without power.
• A learning system: A device that needs to be told how to do a task every time, quickly becomes a source of frustration. A device that remembers and learns from the users’ daily patterns would be of much higher value. For instance, if I book a cab everyday at 9 A.M., the device should ask about performing this task before my prompt.

Despite the grand launches and extensive marketing, the smart home speakers are yet to find their footing in Indian homes.