– YAHOO! –

Yahoo! oneSearch with Voice redefining search on the go

Voice First Experiences Driving the Next Wave of Search
B2C (Business to Consumer) / Mobile App Blackberry

Challenges
Before voice search was available (2008), users encountered a significant challenge. Mobile search expected them to interact as if they were sitting at a desk, even though their real-world environment was fundamentally different.

They are now:

  • On the move, walking, commuting, or driving

  • Multitasking between physical and digital tasks

  • Time constrained, needing answers in seconds

  • Context driven, reacting to real world situations

Yet most mobile search experiences still require:

  • Two hands

  • Visual attention

  • Precise typing

  • Cognitive effort

This creates a fundamental mismatch between how users live and how products expect them to behave.

Solution
To address the fundamental mismatch between mobile user needs and traditional search interfaces, Yahoo made a strategic investment in voice technology and partnered closely with Vlingo to bring Yahoo OneSearch with Voice to market. This initiative was not about adding a feature. It was about redefining how users interact with search in real world contexts.

Yahoo! OneSearch with Voice enables users to:

  • Speak naturally into their mobile device

  • Express intent without typing

  • Receive immediate, relevant results

By shifting input from manual to conversational, Yahoo removed the primary source of friction in mobile search.

Business Impact
Since adding voice, it has demonstrated the ability to increase the number of average searches per user by over 35% across exclusive Blackberry mobile device models. This positions Yahoo! to become from a content destination to a real world assistant. Voice is not just UX. Voice is business infrastructure.

Role & Responsibilities
I am the lead designer assigned to this project working closely with the product executive team and developer team members. My responsibilities includes creating the product branding, icons, icon animation, and user interface design. In preparation for Yahoo’s product showcase in Las Vegas, I have also designed digital promotional media kits for technology bloggers, web publishers and for Yahoo!’s major product launch event.

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Yahoo oneSearch with voice demo at CommunicAsia, 2008.

 

Yahoo oneSearch with voice demo at CTIA, Las Vegas, 2008.

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT JET AT YAHOO!

Jet is a pleasure to work with as has been a wonderful and talented designer on our Yahoo! Weather for Android team. He brings a lot of energy and ideas to a project and expediently delivers great designs and assets.

Jet has the tenacity to jump into a project at any stage and with high risks, as supported by a fond memory of his work-marathon during the famed Yahoo! Hack Days (24 hour product innovation marathon) to work on our Weather team. The result - we won amongst 80+ other teams. Any team would be stronger for having such a strong design contributor.

Sr. Product Manager, Sunnyvale, CA, United States
Design partner at Yahoo!