Apple and Google Make Voice A Primary Interface For Mobile
Plus live coding #voicefirst mobile apps for the "Export to Independence" Contest
That’s the number of Siri requests users are making each month according to this morning’s Apple WWDC Keynote. That’s impressive considering Siri is not always the smartest tool in the voice assistant shed.
Apple recognizes this and is making impressive visual and knowledge improvements to Siri across all of its product lines. It no longer feels like Siri is an add-on or afterthought. Siri is now front and center of your Apple experience on every device. That’s because it is literally sitting on top of whatever app or browser experience the user is in.
This will have a major impact on how users use mobile voice interfaces. Apple is teaching its users that they can use their voice whenever they need something no matter what app or browser is open. It’s a game-changer and will forever alter how users interact with voice interfaces on mobile devices. I highly recommend watching at least the first 20 minutes of the presentation to get a glimpse into Apple’s thinking about Siri on mobile devices. Overall, it was a really impressive presentation from the Apple team today.
Between Apple’s Siri improvements and the preview of voice navigation in Google’s upcoming Android 11 release, it’s clear that mobile devices are embracing voice navigation as a primary interface for users. Check it out below:
Having the two major mobile platforms make voice a first-class interface is great news! But it begs the following questions: Will users only interact with Siri and Google Assistant on their phones? Will Siri and Google speak on behalf of all apps? Or will companies provide their own voice interfaces so they can speak directly to their customers when their app is open?
We have a pretty strong opinion that companies should speak directly to their customers. So please come talk to us if you want to build your own voice interface and talk directly to your customer. 😊
Own your Customer Conversations To Create Better Customer Service
As for talking directly to your customer, I wrote a post over the weekend called “Who Speaks For You?” on Medium. It was inspired by the very public conversation Hey is having with Apple concerning customer service and in-app payments (IAP). I was inspired by Hey’s response to Apple’s policy on IAP and how it impacted their ability to provide customer service. Whether it’s voice interfaces or payment gateways, we need to ensure that we have as much control over the customer experience as possible or we risk losing control of our customer experience to the platforms.
Live coding “Export to Independence”!
Finally, it was an awesome first week of our “Export to Independence” contest! The highlight for us was Alex Dunn live coding his TWO entries last week. Check out the replays below:
Competing in the Export to Independence Contest for Charity Pt. 1
Competing in the Export to Independence Contest for Charity Pt. 2
There’s still plenty of time to register for the contest, so get in now!
Have a great week and thanks for reading!
Mike