Uzair Saadat

Innovation Case Study: Google Home

Caption: The original Google Home, unveiled to the virtual assistant market in 2016.
Q1) The Google Home is a smart speaker developed by Google in 2016 under the Google
Nest Brand and was designed to compete against the Amazon Echo. The need that it meets
is to provide easier access to information, media as well as management of daily tasks and
planning – all with a hands-free experience. The Google Home has many features and
qualities associated with both function and aesthetics. Functional aspects of the Google
Home include obsolescence – the diminishing lifespan on the product, multi-functionality –
the numerous features, purpose and situations the product can be placed under and
ergonomics – the interaction between the user and the product. Aesthetic aspects of the
Google Home include placement – the product’s best possible physical location, colour, as
well as the size of the product. Both functional and aesthetic aspects of the Google Home
contribute to its success as an innovation which allows for the product to differentiate itself
from its competitors in the virtual assistant market. The Google Home is separated into two
components, the main body and the base. The main body is made from polycarbonate
plastic, a high-performance plastic that contains a considerable level of durability as well as
high electrical and heat resistance. For the base, the designers used fabric consisting of
33% nylon and 67% polyester. This allows for the voice of the digital assistant and media to
be projected clearer and with further range. The main technology used in the Google Home
is the Google Assistant application, which is activated via voice activation (even if there is
background noise), by saying “Ok Google”, or just simply “Google”, highlighting it’s advanced
audio receptors. The technological features include listening to media (such as Radio
Stations), controlling TV’s and speakers, setting daily reminders or lists and controlling your
home – through compatible Google Home appliances, such as select lights, blinds and fans.
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Q2) The design process shaped the Google Home through aspects such as identifying the
parameters and criteria, researching past solutions and developing/refining the final solution.
The designers working on the Google Home would have had to take into consideration the
parameters and criteria for the product to be considered successful. For example, one of the
most important criteria was improving user interaction/experience (UX Design), a process of
manipulating user behaviour through interaction with a product. This allowed the Google
Home to contain features revolving around human interaction and responses catered to
individuals - a feature missing from competitor products. Researching past solutions as well
as the available and emerging technologies helps designers to identify weaknesses and
strengths in current products – ones in which the designers of the Google Home used to
improve their product. Google used the Amazon Alexa (released in 2015) as a basis and
standard to create their product before its release in 2016. The last stage of the design
process that was utilised was the development and refinement of the final solution. For
example, most virtual assistants have trouble understanding certain accents and words, so
the Google team exposed the program to more languages, accents and voice types and
implemented the fixes through updates to the Google Assistant.

Google capitalised on the growing trend of virtual assistants and focused their attention on
the legal and financial aspects, factors which contributed to its immense success in the
market. The main feature with most virtual assistants is their ability to respond to voice-
activated commands such as “Ok Google”, however, this relies on audio detection to be
switched on – meaning the product would have had to consider the legal repercussions of
audio recordings because it infringes on personal lives. The product has the option for users
to store audio conversations in their Google account or not; the physical product also
includes a mute button which prevents live audio recording. Google’s focus on financing the
Google Home at an affordable price at the time of its release is a contributing factor leading
to the product’s success. The Google Home is significantly cheaper than the Amazon Echo
(which was $270), which meant that consumers had the choice to choose a product that was
not only around the market price ($150) but also one that had many more built-in features
and the ability to improve its responsiveness and reliability through software updates.
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Q3) The Google Home doesn’t produce excessive waste as the product was made with
environmental and ethical practices in mind. The Google Home aims to employ sustainable
technologies through the use of polyester that it uses in its base of the Google Home. The
fabric is made from nylon and polyester, synthetic fabrics that have positive impacts on the
environment. An interview with Fast Company (2019) reports that Google has started using
recycled plastic such as used plastic bottles to create the fabric on Google Homes and
cases. This illustrates that Google has taken ethical and sustainable measures to
responsibly manage their products, with the Google Home having a majority of its parts
which can be recycled and repurposed.

To ensure the product’s success, the Google Home had been beta tested before its
worldwide release, where the product was selected for use in specific demographics; age
and geographical and income groups, resulting in primary information and statistics which
would be beneficial for initial market research.

The Google Home has patents and trademarks that are associated with its production
techniques, software and shape. Google Nest products are “capable of receiving,
processing, and executing voice commands,” Google wrote in its patent. “In some instances,
voice commands are preceded by indicator words or phrases, known as hotwords.” The
patent states that the product can monitor audio output and can recognise similar voice
patterns to avoid “falsified voice commands”, ultimately preventing fraudulent commands
from being implemented. The patent demonstrates that Google has taken means to protect
its product legally from illicit competitor products, but also to prevent consumer information
and privacy from leaks or breaches. Whilst this patent hasn’t been in effect (as of 2018),
Google has the rights to further develop the model as the cyber-world experiences further
internet-connected devices.

Q4) The creation of the Google Home was developed through Google and the company
Nest Labs, which Google purchased on the 14th of January, 2014, two years before the
release of the Google Home. The collaboration between Google and Nest Labs resulted in
the introduction of the Google Home as well as a line of Google Nest Products, such as the
Google Nest Mini and the Google Nest Hub. Collaboration or Collaborative design is a
process that aims to integrate different ideas, methodology and design. Collaboration
allowed the Google Home team to expand its product as it broadened its market base and
adopt efficient technology practices from Nest Labs, who have had experience in creating
smart speakers, displays, and security systems. Google has incorporated key components
of security and privacy and combined both Google products and Nest products to make the
Google Home and subsequent products more accessible and secure. To ensure the product
was kept up to date with the latest information and trends, prototyping of creative thinking
was employed through the various software updates to the Google Assistant software.
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As a result, the Google Home has been found to be the most reliable in terms of information
recollection, task management and voice recognition compared to its competitors.

Q5) The Google Home has facilitated change in the world and improved the quality of life for
consumers. The product has changed the method that we access information (through
voice-activated searches) and remind ourselves of certain tasks to complete (through daily,
timed and managed reminders). The Google Home creates more leisure time because the
accessibility of information, for example about the weather, is a much quicker process than
checking on the internet. As a result, consumers have more time to focus on other aspects
of their life not involving work, such as social interactions with family and friends. The Google
Home has improved the quality of life for individuals, especially through improvements in
productivity and efficiency levels. For example, the Google Home can set timers, reminders
and lists, which can keep consumers on track of their daily, weekly or monthly tasks. Another
improvement in the quality of life can be found from the needs of disabled individuals. For
example, the product would assist individuals who are blind in accessing information much
faster than current assistive technology such as refreshable braille displays. Designers of the
Google Home have considered the impact of the product on daily life and the different
circumstances of consumers, aspects which have led to its success. At this point, the
Google Home hasn’t created or led to any additional or new employment opportunities,
however, markets in the future may start to follow the trend of virtual assistants or assistive
technologies, which will need a majority of individuals to test products for further
improvement, possibly creating employment opportunities through paid beta testing.

Conclusion: The Google Home is an innovation that has revolutionised the virtual assistant
market, one in which has considered the important factors of design as an emerging and
upcoming technology. This was achieved through the use of sustainable materials and
practices, attentiveness of the legal and financial factors as well as consideration of the
issues arising from ethical and environmental aspects predominantly found in the life-cycle
analysis. The future of the Google Home lives on through the next phase of its products –
the Google Nest line, which will be able to adapt to changes in consumer behaviour or
trends in the market due to its innovative approaches to prototyping and creative thinking.

Bibliography:
Uzair Saadat

Websites/Articles:

Explore what you can do with Google Nest devices. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16,
2020, from https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/7130274?hl=en-AU

Brown, P. (2016, November 25). All the Technology inside your Google Home.
Retrieved February 16, 2020, from
https://electronics360.globalspec.com/article/7718/all-the-technology-inside-your-
google-home

https://store.google.com/au/product/google_home

https://store.google.com/au/product/google_home_base

https://nest.com/au/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Home

Gebhart, A., & Price, M. (2020, January 22). The best Google Assistant and Google
Home devices of 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2020, from
https://www.cnet.com/news/best-google-assistant-and-home-devices-of-2020/

https://www.trionabutler.com/about

Chang, L. (2018, June 28). Google Patents a System to Prevent Google Home from
Audio Attacks. Retrieved February 16, 2020, from
https://www.digitaltrends.com/home/google-audio-attack-patent/

https://patents.google.com/?q=google&q=home&q=patent&oq=google+home+patent

Purcher, J. (2017, April 20). The Patent behind Google Home's new Feature of
Understanding Different Voices in the Home Surfaced Today. Retrieved February
16, 2020, from https://www.patentlymobile.com/2017/04/the-patent-behind-google-
homes-new-feature-of-understanding-different-voices-in-the-home-surfaced-
today.html

Research Articles/Critical Readings

Google Home. (2016). Wireless Design & Development, 24(6), 14. Retrieved from

http://ezproxy.sl.nsw.gov.au/login?url=https://search-proquest-
com.ezproxy.sl.nsw.gov.au/docview/1879884160?accountid=13902

Amazon echo vs google home. (2017, 03). T3, , 94. Retrieved from

http://ezproxy.sl.nsw.gov.au/login?url=https://search-proquest-
com.ezproxy.sl.nsw.gov.au/docview/1869850544?accountid=13902