Mark your calendar: Wednesday, July 21 is the date for this year's Alexa Live. If you're like me and see voice as the next frontier of app design but have yet to sink your teeth into a project professional, this a good event to at least stay current in the meantime. I've gotten a lot out of previous sessions (and I'm still using my blue light glasses, coffee mug, and trucker cap that they sent out in a care package for last year's event!).

And speaking of voice, it will now be easier to interact with your Android device using… er, your voice. Deeper integration with Assistant is now available on more apps, allowing users to complete common tasks with simple commands, including Voice Access for passwords. As per usual, these and a handful of other updates will hit Pixel phones first (which was a big reason I picked one up as a test device #HumbleBrag).

The Baymard Institute has shared another study on native mobile apps. I've referenced their work before and am a believer in their work. So much so that I'm willing to share it out without, admittedly, having finished reading it yet (see also: still playing catch up). There are some interesting usage stats and usability recommendations that are worth taking a gander at.

You should also take a gander at this article on the Health app updates for iOS 15. Aside from the lovely collection of screenshots, there's a fairly in-depth conversation with Apple's VP of Tech on the origins of Health app. It's a reminder that many products start as a single idea and grow from there, even those owned by tech giants. It's also a good example of product evolution based on direct user feedback, not just expert advice.

And not to keep going on about Apple, but I missed a few links from WWDC that I had meant to share last week (but forgot… oops). For the work that many of us do, updates to the HIG are always worth calling out, which were kindly listed out for us as a change doc. I also enjoy seeing what apps won the Apple Design Award for inspiration and design trends (even if they're irrelevant to the industry I'm in). I think that's it this time. Maybe.

Articles

• 6 new features on Android this summer via Google
• Latest Android update includes starred messages and more voice controls via Engadget
• New UX Research Study on Native Mobile Apps via Baymard Institute
• With iOS 15, Apple reveals just how far Health has come—and how much further it can go via TechCrunch
• Announcing the Apple Design Award Winners via App Store

Events

• [Jun 24 @ 10:30am CDT] Explorations via Emerging Tech Brew
• [Jul 21 @ 11:00am CDT] Alexa Live via Amazon

Resources

• [Guidelines] Human Interface Guidelines Updates via Apple HIG
• [Playlist] VOICE Global 2021 recordings via VOICE Talks
• [Playlist] Android at Google I/O 2021 recordings via Google I/O
• [Video] Mobile Payments as an Enabler of Access for Brands and Consumers via Payments Dive
• [Video] What the Growing Trend Toward Privacy Means for Mobile Apps via Retail Dive