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What Designers Need to Know About Google IO 2019

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This latest Google IO event promised cheaper hardware, a focus on accessibility, and continued dedication to augmented reality and machine learning. Here is what you need to know.

Check out Google’s “Definitive Guide to Design” to watch the most important design talks.

Android Q

  • Android Q : This new version of Android boasts 5G support, on-device machine learning/federated learning, new hardware based accessibility features, faster security updates, and more. There doesn’t seem to be any major updates that would impact older apps, but rather, offers improvements to existing experiences. One thing to watch is Google’s commitment to supporting folding devices.
  • Live Caption : With Android Q, captions can be turned on at a system level for any audio played through your phone. This includes personal videos, phone calls, youtube videos, podcasts and more. Captions are generated with machine learning directly on your device. Unlike other accessibility settings that need to be enabled through settings, this can be turned on with a hardware button press.
  • Live Relay : Regardless of the situation or an individual’s limitations, your android device can now transcribe phone calls and provide a way to reply without speaking.
  • Commitment to Security : Google has been criticized for sending all personal data back to Google servers for storage and process. With Android Q, most data processing can happen on device. This puts Google’s security practices more inline with Apple.

Pixel Phone

  • Affordable Pixel Phone : Using machine learning and smarter processing, Google announced a version of their flagship Pixel phone starting at $399. Don’t expect a longer device lifespan, though. Google is sticking to “3 years of support” for the new Pixel.

New Guides & Resources

  • Dark Theme Guidelines : The Material Design Spec now includes a robust guide on how to effectively translate designs to dark mode. This is also great for apps that have a standard dark theme.
  • Sound Design Guidelines : These new guidelines cover how to effectively use sound to improve user experiences.
  • Principals for designing with ML Kit : These new Machine Learning guidelines can help designers get started with ML Kit. The People + AI workbook is another new resource to help bring human centered design practices to AI products.

Takeaways

Android Q will continue to push forward the usability and accessibility of Android. Their less expensive flagship phone will offer a more options to budget conscious consumers. Google IO 2019 demonstrated Google’s continued commitment to building a more helpful Google for everyone.