SHIPPED
Pixel Satellite SOS
Emergency satellite messaging
In 2024, Satellite SOS was introduced on the Pixel 9 seriesat Made by Google , which lets users message and send their location to emergency services via satellites when they do not have network coverage.
As UX lead, I defined and led 4+ workstreams. I also established the UX strategy and foundation for satellite connectivity on Android for all OEMs moving forward.
Product
Android
Skills
Product design
Motion design
Stakeholder management
Interactive prototyping
User research & testing
My role
Design lead
Timeline
Q2 2023 - Q2 2024
Team
Maple Kuo, Vincent Xu, Jill Pfund, Beck Chiou
Background
Most of the world population is covered by a mobile-broadband signal, but blind spots remain. Being a top priority for Android in 2024, the project's goal was to enable people to reach emergency services via satellite even when there's no cellular coverage.
It isn't every day that you get to work with satellites. This was a highly technical and fast-paced project that involved many product areas and external stakeholders. As this was an unprecedented territory for Google, our team had to had to create entirely new UX patterns and interaction models from the ground up.
Making it real…
One of the challenges from the get-go was figuring how create a realistic prototype to test with users. With some clever hacks, I created an interactive prototype with Protopie that uses the actual accelerometers on the device to simulate the pointing experience.
Protopie prototype loaded on a Pixel device simulating the satellite connection experience
Live build demo running on Pixel 9 Pro in the SF office
Impact
Giving peace of mind to millions
Satellite SOS was unveiled at Made by Google '24 as a feature on the Pixel 9 series. It quickly earned praise from critics for its innovation and strong focus on safety.
