Assistant Driving Mode on Google Maps

 

 Assistant Driving Mode helps users complete actions while they drive. Through multi-modal interactions of voice and tap, users can read and send messages, make calls, and control media.

Assistant Driving Mode is Google Assistant’s first major launch, and replaced the Android Auto app.

My designs and cross-product area collaboration aligned the Assistant PM, Assistant Tech Lead, Google Maps team, Assistant Media team, and Assistant Comms stakeholders.

Throughout the few months leading up to launch, I participated in bug bashes with the engineering team. Assistant Driving Mode launched Q4 2020.

 

My Role – UX Designer

Destination Search

As an interaction designer on Assistant, I led the entry-point and flow of searching for a desired destination, ie. the “Where to?” experience, which consists of 32% of Google Maps interactions. I integrated privacy features to better communicate to users the ML model of location suggestions.

Comms & Media

I partnered with media and comms stakeholders to design multi-modal entertainment experiences. I ensured that UI components, such as the music media mini player, were consistent with industry standards and met users’ mental models to facilitate a safe experience while driving and reduce cognitive load.

Latency

I designed the end-to-end experience for the UI and conversational design for Driving Mode’s latency experience despite the unpredictability of a lost connection state. I set up weekly design reviews with the Tech Lead and design team to ensure feasibility and alignment.

For more details about my process, please contact hello.kashani@gmail.com.

Assistant Driving Mode App Flow
 

Driving Mode Functionality

(2:22) Assistant Driving Mode functionality and features – Navigation, comms, and media