Demystifying Multimodal Design: The Design Practice You Didn't Know You're Doing

Key Insights

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  Most designers already practice multimodal design unintentionally by supporting multiple input and output modalities like voice, touch, and haptics.

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  Multimodal design requires orchestrating how different modalities and devices communicate and transition smoothly, rather than designing in isolation.

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  Users switch devices when modality limits push them to—for example, moving from phone to desktop due to input convenience.

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  Cheryl’s CROW framework (Character, Relationship, Objective, Where) provides a comprehensive lens to capture user context relevant for multimodal design.

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  Transitions between input and output modes, devices, and network connectivity represent critical failure points and require intentional design.

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  Proactive, context-aware communication and interruption management improve user experience during multimodal and cross-device interactions.

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  Multimodal design and service design are deeply intertwined, especially across multiple devices and touchpoints.

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  Adaptive experiences that allow users to choose modalities based on context, such as hands-free vs. touch, lead to more inclusive designs.

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  Physical remotes remain relevant because phones are not always accessible, have battery constraints, and because remotes offer lower distraction.

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  Empathy for stakeholders’ goals and framing multimodal design benefits in terms of business priorities helps gain buy-in.

Notable Quotes