HelloJio: Designing a AI Voice Assistant for a Billion Users
Conversational Design/Product Thinking
Client:
Reliance JIO
Role:
Product Designer
Year:
2022
Challenge
Can a smart TV really be smart without a voice that works? Jio wanted their new set-top box to feel futuristic. But the existing voice assistant? Let’s just say it struggled with basic commands. My challenge was to design a conversational experience that actually understood India’s multilingual users, without turning their living room into a shouting match.
Approach
Conducted contextual research across 4 regions in India
Collected real voice queries, mapped failure points, and built key use cases
Created a voice interaction model to sync design, product & NLP teams
Designed feedback flows, fallback commands, and tone of voice for all JIO apps
Aligned voice assistant's interactions across multiple device teams for consistency
Results
📉 ~37% reduction in failed commands post-launch (internal testing)
📺 Voice assistant shipped across 2M+ STB devices in Phase 1
📱 Supported voice UX across multiple devices with unified patterns
🤝 Improved internal coordination between voice tech, UX, and product teams
Learnings
Voice is messy. Designing for it means designing for misunderstanding, repetition, and impatience. But it also means creating empathy-driven systems that adapt. This project taught me to zoom out and think about conversations as an interface.
For a deeper look at the decisions, constraints, and outcomes
