Tony Kim is the CEO and co-founder of ProtoPie. Header image: Nicolas J Leclercq on Unsplash With the expansion and distribution of prototyping software that allows designers to integrate voice functionality, accessibility and innovation will once again be hand-in-hand. In this way, the visually impaired will have greater access to new technology as voice tech improves and progresses. No matter how devices will change in design and function in the future, our ability to talk with our technology isn’t going away. With the popularity of prototyping software, there are hundreds of thousands of designers excited to manipulate and integrate voice into their prototypes, allowing for an increase in novel, thoughtful, accessible design. We need collaboration, and we need tools that allow for empathetic design exploration. We need people from all walks of life to be able to build ideas that inspire others. For truly creative solutions to accessibility problems, a diversity of thought, even from outside the realm of voice designers, is necessary. This and more are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to voice technology, and all of these ideas should be explored more thoroughly.įor progress to be made within voice tech, designers, programmers, and creative thinkers alike all need to have access to programs that allow for play, experimentation, and prototyping. Maybe if you accidentally burn your hand on a hot stove, your voice assistant can immediately recognize your sounds of distress and call a neighbor for you. Maybe when your daughter FaceTimes you, you are met with a description of her facial expressions as they change throughout the conversation. I nstead of asking your phone the weather for the day, maybe it could describe to you exactly what the sky looks like in novel-esque detail. Voice technology has incredible potential, especially when it comes to accessibility. However, with the functionality of Siri and Google Assistant that we have today, we’re just scratching the surface of what voice tech can truly do. Now, visually impaired people can talk to their devices instead of searching for haptic-responses or buttons. With voice technology, we’ve seen a bridge in the world of tech, where sleek designs can live alongside accessibility. But all of this can change, and rather simply. It’s the fact that we’ve taken a path in which innovation and accessibility aren’t hand-in-hand. No, innovation and the strides we have made with technology are remarkable. But the issue here isn’t the technology itself. The visually impaired operate in a completely different world where they need to feel in order to see, and with technology continually innovating the tactile out of the equation, they are left behind. Microwaves without dials, washing machines without knobs, clocks without buttons, and phones without, well, much of any tactile surface, are all examples of this. What’s seen as a huge leap forward in tech is leaping past a group of people who need the coarseness of old technology the blind. As we move forward in innovation, buttons and tactile aspects of technology are being forgone for smooth surfaces. Every year, new technologies are released with increasingly sleek designs. The new iPhone is coming out, and it’s almost completely button-less. Functionality that’s more than a feature, it’s a necessity. Here's why voice technology can bridge all these things together. We've asked Tony Kim, CEO and co-founder of ProtoPie, about his opinion on technology, innovation and accessibility. But what if you can't see all that?Īs technology progresses and designs become more minimal, one fundamental aspect of accessibility starts to fade away: the tactile experience. Visually impaired people cannot experience design the same way as we do – and in fact, as mentioned below, they need to feel in order to see. Have you seen the new iPhone? Beautiful piece of design, almost completely button-less, a joy for the eyes.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |