Take on Tech’s Biggest Challenge Yet

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4 min readOct 23, 2017

Google’s Nandini Stocker talks about humanizing voice to advance user experiences with mobile products.

We can wear our phones, 3D print anything and ride in a car that’s driving itself. Yet, we still haven’t advanced what has guided innovation for the last 100,000 years; conversation. We’ve been working on it, but voice technology has a long way to go. Voice technology can process what people say, but can’t process what they mean (for example, as we raise or inflect our voice to make a sarcastic remark). It’s time to humanize mobile interaction and put conversation first. After all,

“Conversion is just a conversation away with users” - Nandini Stocker

Nandini Stocker is a voice user and interface designer with over 17 years of experience. She was the Head of Conversation Design Advocacy & Partnerships at Google who brings a unique perspective to voice technology: she needs it. Nandini experienced hand mobility problems and could not use a mouse, so relied on voice technology to continue working. Voice technology also helps people who have difficulty speaking. Nandini is an oral cancer survivor who once believed she would lose her voice forever. Software has been proven to help people with speech impediments, who cannot speak, and those with autism communicate more effectively. Voice recognition technology is great for people with pain points, but is also useful for the everyday user to simply make life easier.

Voice gives users three big advantages: speed, simplicity, and hands-free experiences.

For example, let’s say you’re getting your child ready for school. You’re zipping them into their snowsuit but need to call an uber — you can simply command Siri or Google Home to order it so you can multitask and ease your morning rush. Right now, voice recognition helps user focus on doing things that matter most in your life. There is so much potential for companies to join the conversation and make an impact on their users’ day to day activity and bring brand interaction to a whole new level.

Talk the talk

How can you help your mobile product contribute to the vocal movement? Nandini Stocker identifies four actionable opportunities for your app’s success in a conversation driven world:

1. Connect With Users

Instead of users having to visit your website’s FAQ or email customer service for a delivery update, what if they could simply ask Siri or Google Home when to expect their package? Connecting with your users in a refreshing and simple way increases retention.

2. Help Users Get Things Done with Your Service

Help your customers accomplish simple, everyday tasks so they can spend their time where it counts. For example, help them turn the light off on the way upstairs while they’re holding their baby. Limit those mindless tasks to make their lives easier.

3. Innovate with Conversational Interface

Be a leader in voice innovation with a developer platform like Actions on Google, which lets developers build for Google Assistant. Developers can use templates, develop from scratch, or uplevel their app. Whether you’re a hobbyist developer or in a huge corporation, you have the option to make a difference in the fast-changing voice recognition world.

4. Find a Unique Voice and Develop a Personality that Creates a Bond with Users

Use voice recognition software as your newest marketing tool by creating a distinctive, branded voice for your company. For example, Dos Equis’ “most interesting man in the world” is globally recognized. Another example is Headspace’s Andy; When you hear the words “let’s take a minute” you immediately get into your meditation zone. Voice has the potential to be a major part of your brand and marketing. Another perk? For developers, building with a particular character in mind is easier and more fun!

The future of voice recognition is exciting and limitless, as we learned from Nandini Stocker’s Google Conversions chat.

Our takeaways:

Voice is an underdeveloped opportunity today in tech.
Communication technology can help everyone; we all have a pain point here whether we realize it or not!

Four actionable ways to implement voice now: