How does form follow intelligence?

Every intelligent assistant has one requirement - Connectivity. They are internet enabled devices. Lose connectivity and functionality diminishes or vanishes. Let’s explore how intelligent assistants differ by form factor:

Audio Only

You know this one. Ask a question aloud and hope for a useful response. This is the bare minimum functionality expected from an intelligent assistant. It’s not the most useful but seems the most futuristic. Not quite the vision science fiction has projected, but any song or definition you desire is only a few words away.

Advantages

Limitations

Visually Enhanced

What would we do without a screen in the kitchen? Have stacks of recipe books, of course! We are accustomed to visually consuming information, so there is no surprise this category of virtual assistant exist. Maintaining line of sight is the challenge. Detailed visuals are less helpful when out of sight, at a distance or with screen glare. Cameras are the real star with this form factor. Vision into a space is a powerful feature enabling bidirectional instruction!

Advantages

Limitations

Edge Enabled

Huh? Let’s define what that jargon means! New terminology for old technology :)

Edge Computing defined

Buzzword for performing computation on a local device instead of the cloud. Advantages include cost effectiveness, responsiveness and privacy.

Phones are arguably the most capable form of assistant. Ironically, their superiority is the local storage, processing ability and keyboard available on the earliest handheld devices. The ability to store data on the device means connectivity loss only degrades functionality. Plus, local data enables control of data privacy by the device owner. Local processing power means every action does not need the cloud, but the assistants themselves still do. Keyboards shine on these devices by offering typing in place of speech. A feature that increases accessibility and solves interference with voice commands in noisy situations.

Advantages

Limitations

Next time

We’ll prototype an experience to explore capabilities of each form factor. Stay tuned!