Design Thinking: AI Virtual Assistants

The curiosity about an ambient computing future where our TV’s, appliances, watches, phones  and more could talk to us to create new experiences gave way to developers to come up with  the idea of Virtual Assistants.    Virtual Assistants are capable of offering new ways to help its users get things done in a more  efficient, personalised and natural way.    The Problem​ : ​‘Non existent Open Source Cross Platform AI Personal Assistants’     The big unspoken problem emerging with existing Virtual Assistants is that, these Artificial  Intelligences are largely an entirely separate system with virtually no sharing of common  information or consistency of experience.’  AI virtual assistants are supposed to adapt and empathise to the system of humans not the  other way around’. We humans prefer everything simple and convenient.     For instance you could control Amazon echo devices and other smart devices using voice  control on the Alexa’s iOS app on Apple devices, but it does not mean that you could use Alexa  as Siri’s replacement on an iPhone or an iPad.    You could set Alexa as the default personal assistant on Android phones, but Alexa’s  functionality is still pretty limited; it cannot do many native tasks on the device.   What if you wanted Google Assistant in place of Microsoft’s Cortana, there is no downloadable  app for that, although you could emulate it by downloading it as a software development kit and  the Android tools it requires. It works on Command Line Interface hence we cannot expect an  Android like Google Assistant experience on Windows, Mac OS or Linux.     Solution ​: A single unified user interface should be implemented to manage and control devices  from a hub instead of using Multiple UI’s of different forms since some devices do not even have  screens or an on device user interface.     Modern day Virtual Assistants need to integrate the capabilities between devices as a cross  platform AI virtual assistant into an intuitive ecosystem, by offering seamless connectivity across  devices to help users accomplish more with greater ease.     Most of us use  multiple mobile and smart devices in our everyday lives, building an ecosystem  would significantly simplify your daily life through a Virtual Assistant.

Moving your Music with a Tap:    There are a few things more irritating than needing to hit that pause button in the middle of a  song. A continuity feature in Virtual Assistants would let you enjoy your favorite music or  podcast without interruptions.    Without an Ecosystem you'd arrive home from work or college, pause your music, take off your  headphones, connect your mobile to your speakers then play music.  With a Virtual Assistant Ecosystem you’d arrive home click on the continuity notification and  select a device, the music app launches on your Tv or Speaker and automatically plays music    Call and Message Continuity    Without an Ecosystem your phone would be ringing, you’d have to get up from your couch,  search the living room, the bedroom, the kitchen and finally when you find your phone the caller  hangs up  With an Ecosystem your phone rings, you could answer the call on your couch with a smart  speaker.    Virtual assistants need to transform into an open scalable intelligence platform that  empowers users to interact with a wide variety of devices to get things done.    Apart from being Cross-Platform the most important virtue of a Virtual Assistant is the ability to  comprehend and contextualize and understand what the user is trying to communicate and  reply accurately and appropriately. In short virtual assistants need to be Emotionally intelligent.    The User Experience design needs to be oriented towards Human-like Conversational flow that  keeps context in mind and understands accents and consistency of tone. Modern Virtual  Assistants should be working on perfecting the delicate balance between technology that feels  exciting and futuristic, and that feels human and familiar.


Design Thinking : AI Virtual Assistants The curiosity about an ambient computing future where our TV ’s , appliances , watches , phones and more could talk to us to create new experiences gave way to developers to come up with the idea of Virtual Assistants . Virtual Assistants are capable of offering new ways to help its users get things done in a more efficient , personalised and natural way . The Problem​ : ​‘Non existent Open Source Cross Platform AI Personal Assistants ’ The big unspoken problem emerging with existing Virtual Assistants is that , these Artificial Intelligences are largely an entirely separate system with virtually no sharing of common information or consistency of experience . ’ AI virtual assistants are supposed to adapt and empathise to the system of humans not the other way around ’ . We humans prefer everything simple and convenient . For instance you could control Amazon echo devices and other smart devices using voice control on the Alexa ’s iOS app on Apple devices , but it does not mean that you could use Alexa as Siri ’s replacement on an iPhone or an iPad . You could set Alexa as the default personal assistant on Android phones , but Alexa ’s functionality is still pretty limited ; it can not do many native tasks on the device . What if you wanted Google Assistant in place of Microsoft ’s Cortana , there is no downloadable app for that , although you could emulate it by downloading it as a software development kit and the Android tools it requires . It works on Command Line Interface hence we can not expect an Android like Google Assistant experience on Windows , Mac OS or Linux . Solution ​ : A single unified user interface should be implemented to manage and control devices from a hub instead of using Multiple UI ’s of different forms since some devices do not even have screens or an on device user interface . Modern day Virtual Assistants need to integrate the capabilities between devices as a cross platform AI virtual assistant into an intuitive ecosystem , by offering seamless connectivity across devices to help users accomplish more with greater ease . Most of us use multiple mobile and smart devices in our everyday lives , building an ecosystem would significantly simplify your daily life through a Virtual Assistant . Moving your Music with a Tap : There are a few things more irritating than needing to hit that pause button in the middle of a song . A continuity feature in Virtual Assistants would let you enjoy your favorite music or podcast without interruptions . Without an Ecosystem you 'd arrive home from work or college , pause your music , take off your headphones , connect your mobile to your speakers then play music . With a Virtual Assistant Ecosystem you ’d arrive home click on the continuity notification and select a device , the music app launches on your Tv or Speaker and automatically plays music Call and Message Continuity Without an Ecosystem your phone would be ringing , you ’d have to get up from your couch , search the living room , the bedroom , the kitchen and finally when you find your phone the caller hangs up With an Ecosystem your phone rings , you could answer the call on your couch with a smart speaker . Virtual assistants need to transform into an open scalable intelligence platform that empowers users to interact with a wide variety of devices to get things done . Apart from being Cross - Platform the most important virtue of a Virtual Assistant is the ability to comprehend and contextualize and understand what the user is trying to communicate and reply accurately and appropriately . In short virtual assistants need to be Emotionally intelligent . The User Experience design needs to be oriented towards Human - like Conversational flow that keeps context in mind and understands accents and consistency of tone . Modern Virtual Assistants should be working on perfecting the delicate balance between technology that feels exciting and futuristic , and that feels human and familiar .