PROTOTYPE
Designing for Proactive Engagement
Considering Myra as a use case on Sport Space. Designing for proactive engagement, Myra will offer information without explicit user commands. Being aware of the context, which is an aspect not commonly seen in AI assistants.
Swipe Right
Lock Screen displaying space content: When users swipe through Glance Spaces, they navigate to different spaces, with (sports) being one of the spaces.
Offering conversation starters like quizzes or prediction tables to engage in interesting discussions with Myra on specific topics. We'll provide prompts after certain intervals, depending on the time the user spends on a particular Zapp.
In the Sports Space, users will receive updates on sports content, upcoming matches, and the latest news. Myra will only engage when it has something relevant to prompt the user based on the context.
Overivew
In the ever-changing world of AI, we've discovered an exciting chance to bring AI into the Glance ecosystem. Come along with us on the journey of a specific project, where I’ll talk about the steps we took and share how we faced challenges with creative problem-solving.
A mobile lock screen platform elevates the lock screen by delivering personalised content based on users' interests—news, videos, and more. Currently operating on native Android, we've captivated over 230 million users globally.
In just six years since 2019, Glance has evolved the lock screen from dull wallpaper to engaging content for 200+ million active users worldwide.
What is Glance?
Talking about the platform
We began by brainstorming with our stakeholders to figure out how we could experiment with AI, considering our Glance user base and finding ways to enhance the experience for them.
Our project aimed to bring the benefits of AI to Glance, starting with a simple idea: enjoying interesting content on the lock screen. However, we soon realized that we lacked a deep understanding of our users. Consequently, our goal shifted towards establishing a solid foundation that can adapt to our evolving business and cater to a more diverse user base.
As a Product Designer mentored by a lead designer, I was responsible for all design touchpoint – from refining UX and UI to overseeing communication with various stakeholders.
Develop an AI space to make the experience better for our Glance users.
Create a platform for new ideas and encourage meaningful interaction.
Making things happen
The Challenges
Our High level goals were
My Role
We began by exploring what AI is capable of, delving into the latest trends to figure out what might work well for our product
Secondary research - Digging deep
I came across interesting and eye-opening numbers and reports during my white paper research on AI companion model, discovering the potential they hold for the future
The quick growth of conversational AI, driven by using advanced technology and more people getting involved, shows that both businesses and customers really like it. Conversational AI has become a crucial way for people to communicate and connect.
Looking ahead, the future of conversational AI looks bright, and experts predict the global market to be worth $41.39 billion by 2030.
conversational AI is poised for remarkable advancements and transformative impact in the future. According to Juniper Research,
A Global Research Strategic Analysis 2030 reports shows that, AI Companion Market is expected to grow at the Same Pace in FY30, Largely Driven by Volumes
Secondary research - Digging deep
Analysed the current AI Companion experience to see how they assist users through their services
intelligent search capabilities, offering users relevant info.
Bing AI
Replika
More of a general AI chatbot designed for conversational interaction
HeyPi
More of personal assistance, limited to functionality
Siri
virtual assistant providing voice-activated commands and responses
Insights from research - Key finding and themes
I turned the major insights from my research into themes to help guide my design decisions and crafting a solution that will help user achieve their goals
Need for relational interaction
AI assistants are often designed for transactional interactions, performing specific tasks or providing information on demand. Some users may prefer a more relational and continuous interaction
Theme 1
Lack of Proactive Engagement
as many of the ai assistants does not initiate interactions or provide assistance without explicit user commands or requests
Theme 3
Preference for Conversational Interaction
Users tend to appreciate interfaces that allow them to interact with technology in a manner that resembles natural conversation rather than using formal or rigid commands
Theme 4
Desire for Emotional Connection
User would prefer more personalised and emotionally engaging experience may prefer an AI companion.
Theme 2
We brainstormed various ideas to address these issues and prioritised them by dividing them into different levels. This will allow the design and development team to implement solutions efficiently.
Ideas and prioritisation
Now(MVP)
Next (Post MVP)
Later (Future Iteration)
Creating an Conversational ai companions
personalisation - Personalise prompt based on what the user interacted
Gamification Touch
Primary focus on Chat interaction
Focus - voice to voice
Experts services
Solving the challenge
How can we seamlessly incorporate a friendly and helpful AI companion onto the glance lock screen for an enhanced user experience?
Proposed solution
Myra, the Glance Companion, to the rescue!
Myra is a revolutionary conversational AI companion that's more than just a chatbot. It promises a world where technology isn't just a tool but a friend, too.
Working on the NOW (MVP) - Principles guiding the decision
Key major principles are guiding this design of the MVP
Need for Simplicity
Users seek clarity and a straightforward experience, minimizing the learning curve
Need for Motivation
Users seek motivation to stay engaged in conversations with Myra.
Need for Proactive Engagement
Users prefer personalized suggestions to make interactions smoother and more enjoyable.
Need for Emotional Connection
Users wish to form an emotional bond with Myra and have it as a friend to provide support.
Product requirements - Matching principles to features
Product requirements
Need for Simplicity
Need for Proactive Engagement
Need for Motivation
Need for emotional Connection
designing the experience to be straightforward, making it easy for users to understand and interact
Adding a personalise suggestions inform of prompts
involve personalised content, rewards, or interactive elements
Incorporate emojis or visual expressions into the conversation
Kickoff Design Phase
Before we unveil the finished design, let's take a look at the initial ideas and exploration we considered for Myra.
Our initial approach was to develop Myra as a standalone app, accessible to users whenever they needed it. We envisioned a use case where Myra could be invoked from any app on the phone, initiating conversations and assisting users with their queries.
Myra as a Standalone App
However, due to technical limitations and challenges in achieving our broad objectives, we had to discard this option
1
Since we already have our space product up and running, we recognised myra can be a great game changer for Glance space consumptions,
Myra into Spaces
2
Talking About Spaces! What is SPACES???
Spaces
A space is a smart curation of Zapps provided to the use. A space enables users to quickly glance at everything happening in their life within the context they are in.
Launched in August 2023.
During our brainstorming sessions, we envisioned Myra as the starting point in the SPACES. We explored strategies to familiarise users with Myra, with a particular emphasis on Voice-to-Voice interaction as the primary touchpoint. We explored various use cases within spaces to understand its implementation.
Use Case - Myra will help user with summarising the article
News Spaces
We initially considered making voice-to-voice interaction the primary feature. However, due to lacking the capability for voice interaction, we had to shift our focus to exploring chat as the main mode of interaction for our users.
We considered how Myra could assist users while they read articles (L2). We explored various approaches to integrate Myra into this stage, testing these ideas with our team.
In our vision, Myra would appear at specific intervals for users engaged in reading articles.
We carefully considered various approaches to incorporate Myra into our system. Through user behaviour analysis, we found that most users spend a significant amount of time reading articles and consuming information, leading to higher revenue. As a result, we decided to prioritize Myra as the entry point in (L2) for the current Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
Myra with a Focus on Chat
3
We chose not to move forward with the idea based on its design, as it didn't match the goals we have for the current MVP. The feedback we got pointed out worries about the idea being too intrusive for our users, which could distract them from reading articles and absorbing information.
Loud and clear prompts
Subtile Prompts
End of Article Prompts
Selling the feature
We prioritized simplicity when designing Glance Companion, aiming to make it user-friendly without introducing a new learning curve. We adopted a basic chat interaction pattern, something users are already familiar with and have continued with this approach for the current MVP.
Welcome Screen
As we introduce the AI companion to Glance, it's essential to highlight how Myra is presented to ensure it stands out within the Glance interface. This helps users grasp Myra's role and how they can use it.
Taking into account the benefits we offer to enhance the conversational companion's appeal by highlighting what Myra can provide as a valuable service for our users.
The selected design
If users open Myra without any context
Offering various categories to assist users who may not have a specific context in mind for interacting with Myra. These categories aim to help users initiate a conversation and establish a friendly relationship with Myra.
We've designed the conversation pattern to be simple, making it easy for users to understand the differences. We've used clear prompts and straightforward navigation to enhance clarity.
Exploring the standard functionality that Myra will offer to our users
Capture voice messages - Myra can convert spoken words into text and interact with users.
Send Voice Notes
Capture image and ask your queries
Create dynamic AI wallpaper
AI Glance Wallpaper App
Wallpaper Generator: Users have the option to create dynamic AI wallpapers and set them as their lock screen.
Share images with Myra and ask your questions. For instance, if you want to know about a flower's specialty, just click on the camera, take a picture, and send it to Myra in the chat.
Considering Glance as a companion for daily use cases that involve frequent complex decision-making, we chose 'what to wear' as a specific scenario. Myra observes the current situation and interacts with the user, assisting them in deciding what to wear for the day at the office.
Deciding what to wear can be stressful, considering factors like weather and personal preferences. An AI companion like Myra offers a reliable decision-making support system
Here are some potential benefits:
Myra quickly analyses real-time weather data, suggesting suitable outfits for the current conditions.
Myra keeps users updated on fashion trends, providing style tips as a personal fashion advisor to enhance overall wardrobe choices.
Myra assists users in managing their wardrobe, suggesting outfit combinations and even recommending when it might be time to refresh their clothing collection."
Conversational Glance Companion
Designing for Motivation
In my discovery phase, I found it crucial to keep users engaged with the product by providing interactive features, like catchy notifications or prompts. To address the challenge of users lacking motivation to use our competitors' services, we aim to fill this gap by ensuring active engagement with Glance Companion.
Given that our primary product involves advertising on the lock screen, we plan to prompt users with a notification or 'zapp' on the lock screen. These prompts will encourage users to initiate a conversation and connect emotionally with the context.
By promoting conversations and creating emotional connections through context-specific prompts, Glance Companion aims to build a more personal relationship with users. Engaging users with lock screen prompts not only helps overcome the challenge of user motivation but also provides opportunities for emotional connection, effective advertising, and building lasting user loyalty.
Developer handoff - Collaborating with developers
The UI design is now ready to be implemented in code. To ensure a smooth process with the devs, I will take the following actions:
1
Naming convention
Naming components appropriately makes coding easier and keeps the project organized and easy to navigate
2
Effective communication
Discussing and analysing complex design elements helps ensure successful translation into code.
What next? - Metrics : it is important to measure
We can assess the success of Glance Companion using different measures, depending on the business goals and objectives. Some possible ways to measure include
Completion Rate
Assessing how often users complete a full interaction or conversation without abandoning it midway.
Adoption Rate
Tracking the number of new users adopting Myra over a specific period. Analyzing the adoption of specific features or prompts offered by Myra.
Engagement Rate
Tracking the frequency and duration of user interactions within the Myra chat interface. Monitoring how often users click(CTR) on prompts or notifications presented by Myra.
User Satisfaction
This can be measured through surveys or other forms of feedback to gauge how satisfied users are with the myra feature. A high level of user satisfaction suggests that the feature is meeting the needs of users and is perceived as valuable.
New way to experience AI Companion on your Smart Lock Screen
Revamping Glance Lock Screen with Exciting Additions
Ongoing Project
Mobile App
Glance Companion
Thank you
Thank you for Reading