PLAY MY EMAILS
Play My Emails helps users stay on top of what’s new in inbox and get organized while they are away from computer. While listening to new emails and changes to day, users can ask Cortana to schedule a meeting in response to an email or add an email to their tasks list.
Microsoft AI, Cortana / 2018 - 2020
ROLES
Led the end-to-end process—from research and UX/UI design to implementation and market delivery—while collaborating closely with the Voice Designer.
Drove partnerships with Outlook Mobile product, Speech technology, audio designers and multiple other stakeholders
Catch up and plan ahead
Outlook “Play My Emails” (PME) is a first of its kind audio-email experience that helps users stay informed of important conversations and always be prepared for what is next during their commute and on-the-go settings.
PME transforms an outdated, heavy and visual email experience to an audio experience that is comfortable to listen to while you are distracted or on-the-go. PME is one of the first examples of how AI technology, empathy, and design works together to create a paradigm shifting experience, yet feel so natural.
First announced at Microsoft Ignite 2019, I led the design of voice driven email readout starting as a experimental feature. This project started with a small team developing prototypes for effective voice-based email consumption. These prototypes led to a full collaboration between Microsoft AI, Cortana, and Outlook to bring this to all our users.
Product demo
Problem
76% of Americans commute to work alone, with an average of commute time of 30 minutes. PME embraces this lost opportunity and allows busy professionals’ to catch up and plan ahead during their commute. PME reads out your focused inbox in a digestible and valuable way, and lets you know of important events that may impact your day. PME also makes it super intuitive for you to use your voice to quickly navigate and act on your emails.
Audio and Attention
Consuming information in audio form, espeically when you are distracted comes with an interesting set of challenges and cognitive load. PME parses through your email metadata and delivers the most important and relevant information up front so you can easily make the choice dip in and out of small burst of focus effortlessly.
User Controls
Our research unequivocally pointed to a simple fact: People want control over their content and what to do with them.
All controls including navigation, triaging, and contextual actions like replying has been prioritized to be done via voice at any point by simply saying “Hey Cortana”. Whether you are actively on your phone, on a treadmill, driving to work, or even when your phone is in your bag- You are always in control.
The Journey
The Narrative Audio Framework
Through multiple rounds of iteration, testing and fine tuning, the team created a flexible yet effective narrative framework for a guided audio experience that allows you to quickly orient, proiritize, and act on your inbox while feeling in control - All through audio and voice.
"Hey Cortana, Flag this"
"Hey Cortana, Reply”
Main flow
(From left to right) Entrypoint button, quick summary section of your inbox, "Changes to your day" section that notifies updates of the day, email readouts, and Cortana's listening state.
Designing and developing "Play My Emails" was a dynamic and non-linear process, driven by the paradigm-shifting nature of voice-based email consumption. With design at the forefront, we envisioned and defined the experience, collaborating closely with multiple teams to bring it to life. The journey required alignment across diverse stakeholders, including product, engineering, and voice design teams, to ensure a seamless and impactful user experience.
Microsoft IGNITE 2019 Announcement
In the press
GeekWire
MacRumors
SlashGear
The Verge
ON Microsoft
Computerworld
Windows TenForum
