As Google Hardware eco system is growing every year and indiviual product teams focussed on device specific interactions, there was a need to form a workflow that thinks about the language of physical input / output holistically and establish a design system similar to Material design. Me & my team established an internal tool, formed a cross-pa workflow and published guidelines.

Creative directed stories and illustrations used in the internal tool. Worked with amazing Freelance artist Stephen Kelleher to bring designs to life. Some of which you will see below in the page.

Foundation

To build a strong design system we needed to have overarching pricinples that can uphold to any guideline and interaction designed.

Appropriate
User interaction should reinforce physical affordances. Consider environmment, visibility, size, and required exertion for inclusivity.

Familiar
Match users’ expectations and mental models. Semantic meaning comes from familiarity and cultural associations.

Explicit
Determine a product’s use cases before designing interactions. Focus on the main use cases, keep it simple and easy to remember.

Delightful
Playfulness and inclusion are part of Google’s DNA. Use multi-sensory feedback to increase understanding and personality.
 

UX Guidelines

Team established design guidelines and use cases for following categories. The spec tool is internal only, so just added high-level snapshot.