Tanuja Bodas
Multimodal Interaction
Future Of Productivity
MY ROLE
Product Designer (end‑to‑end)
DURATION
8 weeks
TEAM
Solo Designer
Peer feedback at milestones
CHALLENGE
expanding the capabilities of a simple storage space
How might we adapt Google Drive for large‑screen and in‑car contexts so people can find, view, and present files hands‑free, without sacrificing safety or accessibility?
THE PROCESS
BACKGROUND
Cloud storage is everywhere, but it’s mostly built for phones and laptops. Smart TVs and car screens are getting pretty powerful (voice, offline, big displays), but Drive still isn’t really designed to work great on those.
SCOPE
Smart TV
lean‑back, large‑screen, remote/voice input; focus on viewing, listening, and presenting.
Tesla Display
safety‑first, voice‑led interaction; split Driving mode (audio‑only, read‑aloud) vs Parking mode (full visual controls & slideshows)
WHY?
Hands‑free control
with voice for search/navigation.
Large‑screen previews
for documents, photos, and decks.
Media & slideshow playback
for work and personal use.
Offline access
in low‑connectivity environments.
Safety
read‑aloud and driving‑aware restrictions reduce visual distraction in cars.
Who would use this?
Households and students
using TVs to view decks, photos, and documents together
Remote workers/presenters
who want frictionless slideshows on a TV
Drivers/passengers
who need quick, voice‑led access to files (proofs, PDFs, itineraries) while on the move.
KEY FINDINGS
Talk to your TV
You can just say what you want (“open budget deck,” “play next slide”) instead of typing. The remote’s mic handles search, navigation, and slide controls, so you’re not hunting through menus
Your stuff, front-and-center
A “Quick Access” row automatically shows files you open a lot or opened recently. That means fewer clicks to reach the thing you actually came for.
Let it read aloud
Long docs? Hit Read-Aloud and listen like a podcast on the TV or in the car. Great for accessibility and for times when you can’t (or don’t want to) stare at a screen.
Safe while you drive
When the car is moving, the app switches to Driving Mode: audio-only with super-simple on-screen chips. When parked, you get the full visuals—slideshows, previews, everything.
No Wi-Fi worries
You can save important files to the device or car ahead of time. Even if the internet drops, your files still open and play smoothly.
SUCCESS METRICS
Findability
time‑to‑open a target file on TV
Hands‑free success
of core tasks completed via voice alone (search/open/play/advance slides).
Accessibility
of long‑form docs consumed via Read‑Aloud on TV/car
PROTOTYPE
REFLECTIONS
Looking Back
When people are driving, keep it mostly audio with super simple, glance-and-go screens. The app should always know if you’re driving or parked and adjust automatically
Show a clean preview first, then reveal more only when needed. Make it easy to see what’s “selected” with the remote so you never get lost.
If talking to the app doesn’t work, make sure you can still use the remote or a keyboard or the touch display, and that it’s easy to recover from errors.
Try it on a real TV and a car setup, compare results to today’s workaround (casting or using Drive in a browser), and improve the voice + error messages based on what you learn
Let’s create together
Open to collaborations and ☕!
Say Hi!
©2025 Tanuja Bodas