Google Inc
Senior Product Designer Contractor
Project Overview
This project began when Google identified the need to integrate AI into its consumer-facing products. The aim was to bring AI, initially under the Bard branding (now Gemini), to the Google for Retail division, specifically within the "My Business" area to business owners (B2B). This area serves as the interface where users see business information reflected on Google Maps and when searching for establishments such as shops, restaurants, and more.
New Feature Overview
The new feature enables business managers to edit their business profiles directly within Google Dashboard using AI, enhancing their engagement and presence across the Google ecosystem. To help businesses such as bakeries, coffee shops, and photo labs stand out and rank the company well.
This feature, powered by the Gemini API, assists users in completing their business profiles by automatically populating fields with existing data Google already has about the business. For instance, the API can suggest details for sections like “About the Business” and propose updates based on contextual insights, such as identifying the business as “kids-friendly” or suggesting accurate opening and closing hours. By streamlining this process, the feature helps business owners provide the detailed information needed to optimize their visibility in niche rankings.
Previously, business owners were required to input all the necessary information into their profiles manually. However, many lacked the time to complete the extensive forms, leading to high abandonment rates and leaving critical business information fields blank. This incomplete data negatively impacted their visibility and ranking on the platform.
The implementation of this feature was a collaborative effort involving a product owner, two engineers, and myself, leading the design initiatives.
About the project
The key feature provided business owners with AI-driven tools to simplify tasks like completing their business profile (e.g., business description sections), writing descriptions, and, most importantly, consuming consolidated customer reviews and feedback from Google Business Reviews. By leveraging AI, business owners could more easily digest feedback and insights, helping them make better decisions for their establishments.
For instance, the feature could identify recurring behavioural patterns, such as the need to add outdoor seating during summer months, enabling business owners to address customer needs proactively. This feedback consolidation streamlined the process of understanding customer sentiments and acting upon them effectively.
I worked closely with the Engineers, building the prototypes to get the best research findings that helped define the project’s success.
Challenges
One of the project's main challenges was implementing an AI feature still in Google development. It involved addressing limitations such as the cost of API requests per user and designing an interface that minimised backend requests to reduce implementation costs. Each API request returned 15 responses, but the interface was designed to display only three at a time, with additional options shown only if required by the user.
At the time, Google's AI products were in evolving, and there was a pressing market need to develop and showcase the feature at Google Marketing Live 2023, one of the company's most important events. Despite these challenges, the project was completed in just five months and successfully implemented by the engineering team.
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