How to design for the Amazon Echo Show 15
Showcased in September 2021 and released in December later the same year, the Echo Show 15 represents a leap forward not only in the size but the potential usage of Amazon Alexa.
The sheer size of this first generation of device size, clearly indicates Amazon’s direction of screen based interaction. Having a screen this size opens a whole new dimension to new possible interactions, not only to first party Alexa capabilities; such as asking the weather, but to third party skills.
The Echo Show’s large 15 inch screen creates a whole new possibility to Alexa interaction. Amazon has created some interesting use cases that take advantage of the larger screen real estate. From adding notes to a full-sized calendar, there are new applications that use the larger screen size.
Context and placement
Context and placement are two key points to think about when designing an application for the Echo Show 15. There are some questions that a designer needs to think about. Is the device meant to be be used by many people or just one person at a time? Is the device used in a communal setting or in one to one scenario?
For the most part, the family of Echo Show devices; and some might argue for smart speakers in general, are used for snackable interactions. Meaning that interactions are sporadic. This means that interactions are usually in short sessions where the user pops in and out of sessions. Apart for use cases such as watching video content such as Netflix or Amazon Video interactions are, at best, short experiences mainly for finding out information such as the weather, traffic conditions and for playing music. All of these main use cases single digit turn interactions. Even some of the newer use cases are single turn interactions such as the medical voice guidance; a feature to help users who aren’t feeling well determine the reason for their condition.
So it’s safe to say that context matters but also so does placement. Most, if not all of Amazon’s product imagery shows the Echo Show 15 being placed in open plan areas such as the kitchen. This shows the device being a family hub serving information when needed in a glanceable format. This is not to say that the device can not be used in say the bedroom or living room. But the nature of the size and content being shown lends itself to being placed in more communal locations.
Application use cases
When designing for the Echo Show 15 it’s important to understand the context in which the device is to be used. As I mentioned before, the device is intended to be used in communal shared settings. This means that Alexa skills or apps where multiple people can enjoy visual content on the large screen will be best suited for the Echo Show 15. Applications such as multi-player games, audio players, and content dashboards are all great uses candidates to take advantage of the larger real estate.
Outside of the home, the Echo Show 15 has the potential to be used in more creative ways to serve up information that can be the hub of conversation such as in a hotel lobby serving up a mixture news and recommendations for guests. This can be another type of hub for information, a focal point for guests who wish to find out about the the hotel amenities and also the some of the activities in the local area.
Not only can the Echo Show 15 serve as an out-of-home focal point for relevant information it can also be used as way for fans to stay up to date with their favourite team or celebrity.
Designing for the Echo Show 15
Designing for the Echo Show 15 starts with deciding how to best make use of the available real estate. Start by looking at the application to determine the features and components to the display in priority order. This is important as it will give you a clear understanding of the relative hierarchy of elements.
Understand who your users are
Figuring out who a typical user would be is an important step so that you can really understand what to show on screen and how to display elements; for example font size and image dimensions. Is the user a person with certain visual or physical impairments? How old is the user? What information are they looking for? If you think about the user first a lot of the decisions about which content to include and show will have be answered for you.
With the Amazon Echo Show 15 you have more real estate so giving frequently used information up front will delight the user. This is because it makes using the device more rewarding when most used information is clear and present on screen.
Keep in mind that just because you have more real estate to work with does not mean that all of it needs to be used. Leaving white-space between visual elements aids clarity and usability. Some applications such as dashboards are meant to display relevant and logical information next to each other.
Let’s start to sketch
Secondly, sketch out rough layouts for the information that you decided are most important giving preference and prominance to the items higher up in the hierarchy. As you can see above, the image and the name of the player are key items followed by the stats and social media content.
Use applications like Sketch or Figma to help you easily and quickly draft out some wireframe layouts. Sketching out different ideas gives you an idea of what visuals you need to source.
Visuals can lead to voice interaction
Sketching layouts gives you a chance to decide what elements the user can interact with using touch and also using their voice. This can help with deciding what intents to support. For example, in the image above you can imagine the user asking who were the scorers in the last match. Visuals can prompt a user to think of ways to get more from your application, if you think that presenting relevant information on screen makes sense add this to your design.
Extend the real estate
Think about how the use of auto rotating pagers could work extend the screen real estate futher. In the sport fan hub experience auto rotating pagers for just a portion of the screen show more information in an easy to use glanceable way.
Make use of off line experiences
Just because a voice experience starts on a device doesn’t mean that the experience needs end there. With the Echo Show 15 think about if a QR code makes sense to let the user enjoy existing content away from the Echo Show. This brings the whole meaning of a hub alive as a place where content can be consumed and be a gateway to other pieces of content.
Testing
Testing is an important phase as it lets you play with the interface. How does it feel to use the user interface and it is immediately obvious how it works to you and also to complete strangers. This usability is an important step as iterating the design is an inevitable step that all developers will face. Granted every project is different but testing is common to all projects.
Conclusion
In conclusion we have seen that designing for the Amazon Echo Show 15 means starting to look from the user’s point of view. Just blowing up everything to a bigger sizer is missing the point. There are gains to be made developing a design for this new device size and a chance to introduce new elements that will delight the user. We looked at using elements in a way that respects hierarchy as well as white space. We also looked at ways to extend the real estate and also take the experience past the device itself.
There are many ways to create a new class of experience for this device and its clear that it takes a step by step approach to develop rewarding visual experiences.
