Google
To: Sundar Pichai, CEO
From: Anand Kumar, Product Manager
Subject: Additional Features for the Android Pixel 6
Dear Mr. Pichai,
As reported by Nikkei in October of 2021 and supported by internal memos, Google requested from its suppliers, production of more than 7 million of the Android Pixel 6 smartphones. This doubling of output from 2020 production is in no small part due to the confidence attained from our extensive research conducted to understand which features truly matter to our customers. We focused on and successfully rolled-out additional storage, better battery life, more processing power, increased durability, and crisper audio and video output (Buckle). As expected, Pixel 6 reviews have been incredibly favorable. A 9 out of 10 rating by Dan Seifert from The Verge validates that our flagship phone is "among the best phones available and perhaps the best Android phones to buy right now".
I propose that for our next release we focus on features that are often requested by underserved communities. According to a 2011 report by the World Health Organization, 9.2% or 719 million people in the world are affected by some form of visual impairment or hearing loss (Wagner). It is imperative that Google leads the market when it comes to accessibility, especially as our mission in part is “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful”.
During the course of our consumer outreach, we encountered several use cases by not-for-profit researchers from leading behavioral and social science research and evaluation organizations such as the American Institutes for Research, RTI International, and RAND. One disappointing but enlightening survey reveals that 19% of blind Android consumers are very dissatisfied by their phones whereas all blind respondents using iOS iPhones are either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied (Langdon). Similar results are reported when surveying deaf consumers, with satisfaction levels much higher for iOS than Android.
In addition to enhancing existing features including TalkBack, magnification gestures, live caption, large text, and text-to-speech, implementing Face Unlock is a promising start that will make an immediate and lasting impact for consumers with disabilities (Reardon). Face Unlock is a minimum requirement that must be implemented for visually impaired consumers, allowing for immediate access to the Pixel by simply holding the phone up to one’s face. Our stretch goal should be to integrate facial and image recognition technology to describe in real-time (using natural language processing) a dynamic environment via the camera lens.
For many blind and deaf-blind people, Braille is critical to consuming information. Though external Braille devices exist, users prefer the use of a smartphone. I propose we devote concerted effort to continue the work of researchers that have explored Braille in a smartphone context. V-Braille is one unique method that combines tactile vibrations with touch-screen to allow the reading of characters and sentences (Jayant et all). Funding should be made available to allow interested parties (universities) to further develop techniques. An employee volunteer program that syncs up Google engineers with institutions to pursue these methods may also be a worthwhile endeavor.
As it relates to hearing aid support, Google is woefully behind Apple which developed a Bluetooth protocol that hearing aid manufacturers started implementing in 2013 – enabling direct streaming to hearing aid devices from iPhones. Better late than never, six years later, Google released the Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids (ASHA) Bluetooth protocol (RAZ Mobility). Manufacturer saturation has yet to be achieved due to the late start. I propose protocol-independent and backwards-compatible support with an open-source library for all assistive devices. Licensing costs and partnership concessions may incur a significant short-term loss, but it is my firm belief that selfless community-oriented initiatives will build brand loyalty and goodwill across all our segments.
A “We’re All One” campaign is advised as we roll-out these features. We can complement functionality deployment with news releases, tradeshows, and conferences tailored to underserved communities. Pixel revenue alone is expected to hit $6.92 billion in 2021 (Krause). I believe that in less that 5 years, we can not only fully recover any short-term losses, but increase revenue by cornering the assistive smartphone market by providing best-of-breed accessibility features. In addition, allowing consumers with disabilities direct access to our product teams via a “Vote for This Feature” option is highly recommended.
I look forward to discussing these initiatives that will provide underserved communities a roadmap to a future where information will truly be universally accessible.
Sincerely,
Anand Kumar
Product Manager
Works Cited
Buckle, Chase. “Which Smartphone Features Really Matter to Consumers?” GWI. 09 January 2019. blog.gwi.com/chart-of-the-week/smartphone-features-consumers/
Krause, Reinhardt. “Google Pixel Phone Revenue Seen Doubling By 2021 As Apple IPhone Era Fades.” Investor’s Business Daily. 21 December 2018. www.investors.com/news/technology/google-pixel-phone-revenue-apple/
Langdon, P.M., et all. “Inclusive Designing.” Springer. March 2014. lirias.kuleuven.be/retrieve/267889#page=78.
“Our approach to Search.” Google. www.google.com/search/howsearchworks/our-approach/
Reardon, Christopher. “The Pixel 6’s Accessibility Features Make Me Hopeful for the Future of Smartphone.” Gizmodo. 08 November 2021. gizmodo.com/the-pixel-6s-accessibility-features-make-me-hopeful-for-1847997736
Seifert, Dan. “Google’s Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are Bigger, Better, and Smarter.” The Verge. 28 October 2021. www.theverge.com/22750387/google-pixel-6-pro-review
“The Google Pixel Smartphone for People with Hearing Loss – an Analysis.” RAZ Mobility. 29 October 2020. www.razmobility.com/assistive-technology-blog/analysis-of-pixel/
Ting-Fang, Cheng. “Google aims to double smartphone output with new Pixel 6.” Nikkei Asia. 19 October 2021. asia.nikkei.com/Business/Technology/Google-aims-to-double-smartphone-output-with-new-Pixel-6
Wagner, Lise. “Disabled People in the World in 2021: Facts and Figures.” Okeena Group. 26 November 2021. www.inclusivecitymaker.com/disabled-people-in-the-world-in-2021-facts-and-figures/