With the new Pixel 7’s “Guided Frame” feature, Google aims to make taking selfies more accessible and fairer than ever

The thing about accessibility in technology is that work can’t and shouldn’t be on an organization’s shoulders. Apple, for example, is widely respected in the disability community for developing top-notch accessibility software that meets a diverse range of needs. Still, it would be a sad state of affairs if the Cupertino-born captain of industry thought he was solely interested in making technology accessible to all. The axiom that “it takes a whole village” comes to mind as apt here: no matter how good a company’s efforts may be, the fact is that the responsibility does not rest with one entity alone to make technology more accessible and egalitarian make. It seems trite, but it absolutely fits the bill for inclusion.

As this column rapidly approaches its third birthday next spring, the tech industry sees many players, big and small, dedicating themselves to serving the disabled. The larger companies obviously have more resources for R&D and engineering, but the mindset remains the same. Every company — established giant and burgeoning startup alike — that has spent some time in the journalistic limelight here is firmly committed to democratizing technology for people of all abilities. That so many share a North Star is an encouraging reminder of this disability does important when it comes to promoting diversity and inclusion in society – especially with regard to last comments.

Think Google. The Mountain View-based giant held a #MadeByGoogle event in Brooklyn, New York last week to showcase a range of new hardware products, all relevant to accessibility. Of particular interest are the new Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, which go on sale Thursday. Google sent me both models and the new Pixel Watch to test last week. Since larger phones like the iPhone 14 Pro Max are my preferred size, I spent most of my time with the 7 Pro. This is my first extended time with a Pixel – or any Android device – since the Pixel 4.

The Pixel 7 Pro feels similar to the iPhone 14 Pro just reviewed. In terms of feel, however, there are two main differences to note. First and foremost, the 7 Pro’s industrial design has curved sides, similar to Apple’s iPhone 11 series and earlier. It’s not a bad choice per se, but it’s a bit jarring to get used to again after three years of the boxy, flat iPhone design. On the Pixel, the rounded corners make it a bit precarious to hold; It feels like you have to hold your phone for a good grip. This is an obvious cause for concern if, like me, you have muscle tone issues that can make holding objects difficult, depending on their physical characteristics. Second, the back of the 7 Pro is as smooth as a baby’s bottom – it has no texture, no friction at all, which would make it easier to hold when taking a selfie, for example (more on that later). All in all, Google has done its job to ensure the 7 Pro is made with quality materials. that is out of the question. What is debatable is whether anyone should use this phone without a case. This is of course entirely a matter of personal preference. From an accessibility perspective, it’s wise to get a case if you know your fine motor skills aren’t at their best. It’s the safest and most ergonomic choice if you’re not overly confident about your warranty coverage.

In fact, Google included a case for the 7 Pro in my reviewers kit. I can confirm that the added friction of the case material makes the phone feel much more secure in hand. Whether it’s a Pixel or an iPhone, choosing a case is about both enhancing the literal handheld experience and protecting the device from harm.

The grip of the pixel plays a major role in practice, for example when using the camera. The relatively poor lack of grip can make it difficult for anyone, disabled or not, to hold the camera steady while taking pictures. A marquee feature of the Pixel 7 series is what Google calls Guided Frame. The feature, a combination of hardware and software, works with Android’s TalkBack screen reader to help blind or partially sighted people find the best position for a good selfie. Guided Frame also intelligently uses haptic feedback to confirm you did the right thing. For many disabled people, dual dose sensory input – known clinically as bimodal support, which refers to two forms of sensory experience – isn’t just technologically adept. Haptics is one way of harnessing a device’s wealth of sensors, but the practical application of these small sums for people who can’t rely on purely visual feedback isn’t superfluous. It’s really very useful.

Once the “sweet spot” is found, the system automatically presses the trigger.

In my tests, the word choice was usefully concise. Instructions like “move head right” followed by a friendly haptic jerk works well. The feature is reminiscent of Apple’s implementation with its own VoiceOver screen reader; On iOS, the experience is almost identical. At a high level, both versions live by the same code: they allow people with disabilities the same access to taking selfies as everyone else. If you have multiple disabilities, vision, and motor skills, selfies probably look best when using a case (or gimbal in other conditions). Still, Guided Frame lives up to what’s on the proverbial can — many in the tech media and tech enthusiast crowd happily debate who’s first and who’s better as if they were Abbott and Costello, but those are fruitless arguments. What is What is fruitful is that Google, like its competitor Apple, has made taking selfies on Pixels more accessible than ever. This is real innovation.

“Since the introduction of the front camera in smartphones, selfies have become a fun way for people to share a spontaneous moment with others. However, for hundreds of millions of people around the world who are blind or partially sighted, knowing whether or not you took a “good” selfie can be a challenging and frustrating experience. In today’s smartphone and camera products, there is still no camera that allows blind and low vision users to confidently take a selfie on their own,” said Lingeng Wang, Google’s technical program manager for hardware product inclusion and accessibility, in a recent email interview carried out. “Getting help from others to take a selfie can be a frustrating experience that can spoil the spontaneous spirit of a selfie. But technology has the power to break down those barriers and make those processes fairer for people with disabilities.”

For Victor Tsaran, Senior Technical Program Manager at Google, Guided Frame means better access to great selfies. “Although I was able to take a selfie beforehand, it wasn’t until I used Guided Frame that I was sure that the photo I was taking was really good. For me, Guided Frame is about bringing justice by giving me the opportunity to do something that many sighted people can do in their everyday lives without thought or support,” he said in an interview with me.

Work on Guided Frame began in earnest last November, Wang told me, when “our small team of three embarked on an internal innovation sprint for accessibility and inclusion with disabilities, with the goal of creating the most accessible camera experience for blind and partially sighted people.” The trio originally just wanted to help users better understand selfie camera placement, but after doing some research – including consulting with blind and partially sighted people – they came to the realization that their idea was the wrong one. They would focus on what’s shipping this week and use Android’s TalkBack to do the heavy lifting involved in walking people through taking a selfie. The Guided Frame project took about eight months from conception to completion and included many rounds of feedback and iteration from members of the blind and partially sighted community.

“We built on some of the technical components [already were] available in the Pixel camera,” Wang said. “The biggest challenge was to integrate the many technical and user interface components, such as B. face recognition to bring together [to announce how many people are in the frame], audio, haptics and visuals so they could work together seamlessly like a symphony. It’s important that all of these parts work in sync with each other and provide real-time feedback to users.”

Wang said the feedback for Guided Frame has been positive. The overall feedback is that the software allows for a level of autonomy and independence that was previously impossible. Instead of always having to ask someone for help to frame things properly, a Pixel user can now simply use Guided Frame to capture the perfect selfie. Freedom of self-expression is often taken for granted by able-bodied people; Google sought to give that power back to the blind and partially sighted community by developing Guided Frame.

Molly Burke, a popular Canadian YouTuber who is blind, appeared in a video with Google’s Wang demonstrating Guided Frame. Elsewhere, Burke praised the feature as a hallmark of universal design, said in a tweet posted on Tuesday “[Guided Frame has] the power to help so many.”

“Often when people think about accessibility, they only think about how technology can be used to help [daily] Tasks like using your phone or an app,” Wang said. “That’s important, but it’s also important to use technology for creative and social activities [like taking a selfie] also accessible.”

The company “looks forward to additional feedback from the broader blind and partially sighted community” as they improve Guided Frame in future feature drops and other updates. For Wang’s part, he said it is a “dream” for the team to live in a world where everything is fully accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities. The advent of Guided Frame is just one step on this journey, helping to make cameras more accessible to everyone. Google recognizes the fact that working on accessible photography—and tech accessibility at large—is an evergreen endeavor and the work is never truly complete. Accessibility lives forever.

“At Google, we’re constantly thinking about how we can develop technologies that can make various social interactions more accessible for everyone,” Wang said of Google’s institutional ethos on accessibility. “We are committed to developing products and services that can truly help and improve people’s lives – taking into account important factors such as self-expression and identity, independence and self-confidence, fair and accessible information and more. As we researched the development of this feature, we envisioned creating a camera experience that is fair and accessible [Blind and low vision] Persons.”

The new Pixel 7 and 7 Pro will be available on the Google Store tomorrow, October 13th.