Is 2020 the Year You Need to Become a Voice Designer?
What is a voice designer? While still a relatively new term, UI/UX designers are expanding their field to incorporate voice design because search technology demands it.
Voice technology is driving the UI/UX domain in terms of search. But, what is its probable impact on the designers’ lives? Should designers look ahead to building a career in this field in 2020 and how? Find answers to all such questions here.
“20% of the searches made from smartphones are done via Voice.”
“55% of teenagers are performing Voice-based searches daily.”
“20% of grocery orders are placed using Voice technology.”
“60% of smartphone users have tried voice search at least once a month.”
Such statistics have given a new direction to the IT and business market. They have proved that voice is the next big revolution; growing with the pace much more considerable than with which mobile apps have entered the market. This has encouraged business enthusiasts and app developers to create applications for Alexa, Siri, and Google Home and make their presence in the Voice world at the earliest. It has influenced them to brainstorm possibilities of introducing voice into traditional processes and coding programs that interpret voice earliest by this year.
But, what’s more interesting is that it has opened a new career line for the designers. It has made it imperative for designers to hone their skills and craft voice interfaces that deliver a smooth, effortless and engaging experience to all.
Now, know this, if you are someone who wishes to become a voice designer in 2020 and craft solutions that can reshape the ways we communicate with our devices, this article will be a good read for you.
Here, we will talk about what exactly Voice designers do, what skills one needs to step into this domain, what types of companies are hiring Voice designing experts, and more.
So, without ado, let’s begin with what the role of a Voice designer is.
What does a Voice Designer Do?
Also known as Conversational user interface (CUI) designers, Voice interaction designers, Voice user interface (VUI) designers, and interaction designers, Voice designers are creative people who are responsible for introducing the power of voice into their designs.
A voice designer, just like User experience (UX) designer, design and craft voice user interfaces that enable users to interact with a system using their voice. They focus primarily on fostering an exemplary interaction via a digital assistant or a voice-activated speaker/software. They address questions related to the user persona, problems the targeted audience are targeting, and how to implement designs while working with the best app prototyping tools, usability testing techniques, and much more.
However, unlike graphical user interface designers, they pay attention to how smartphone users respond to voice, which related to sociology, psychology, linguistics, and data science on a broader level.
Now as the job profile of a voice designer is cleared, it is likely that you are eager to know the current salary package before deciding to jump into this field. So, let’s uncover the same in the next section of the article.
How Much Can a VUI Design Earn?
When talking about the salary of a Voice designer, there is no such fixed value. As per the current data found on Glassdoor.com, a novice VUI designer is getting somewhat between $65,000 and $85,000 annually. Whereas, the salary of an experienced VUI designer is ranging between $80,000 and $110,000 per year.
With this covered, let’s unfold what skills make a designer ‘Voice designer’.
Must-Have Skills to Become a Voice User Interface (VUI) Designer
Like UX design, there is no established path to becoming a voice designer. There are no hard-and-fast rules to start your career in voice designing, but there are various skills that are recommended to polish before stepping into the market. Some of which are:-
- Curiosity and Problem-solving skills to imagine and craft new/unexpected solutions that give users an escape from their prevalent pain points.
- A deeper understanding of human communication and emotion designing.
- In-depth knowledge of Voice and other technologies, their potential, source of interaction, and implementation challenges.
- Know-how of writing sample dialogs to ensure success as maintaining back-and-forth between the user and the device, alongside having the capability to test concept flows.
While we have talked about the job role, skills, and salary package of a voice designer, the next question to consider is – who is going to hire them? Or, which business verticals have openings for VUI designers.
Types of Companies Hiring Voice Designers
When it comes to determining who is hiring voice design experts, the answer is Everyone.
Yes, all kinds of companies – right from the tech brands like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and IBM to car manufacturers like BMW, Ford, Audi, and VW, and audio makers like BOSE, Sonos, and JBL are looking for voice designers to implement VUI in their already launched products.
Besides, many startups and voice platform creators are also taking steps towards introducing voice prototyping features into their traditional processes and prove their expertise in the same. Something which again means that they are welcoming more of UI/UX designers with specialization in voice designing.
In a nutshell, the number of job opportunities for Voice designers is not limited in the market. So, if you have gained profound knowledge in this field, you can apply for any kind of company and make a fortune.
But in case you have any kind of queries, feel free to connect with VUI design experts or simply drop a comment below.
