Abstract
BackgroundSmart speaker–based voice assistants promise support for the aging population, with the advantages of hands-free and eyes-free interaction modalities to handle requests. However, little is known about how older adults perceive the benefits of this type of device.ObjectiveThis study investigates how older adults experience and respond to a voice assistant when they first interact with it. Because first impressions act as strong predictors of the overall attitude and acceptability of new technologies, it is important to understand the user experiences of first exposure.MethodsWe conducted semistructured interviews with 18 people 74 years and older who had never used a smart speaker before, investigating the patterns of use, usability issues, and perspectives that older adults have when using a voice assistant for the first time.ResultsThe overall first response to a voice assistant was positive, thanks to the simplicity of a speech-based interaction. In particular, a positive and polite response to complete the interaction with a voice assistant was prevalent, such as expressing gratitude or giving feedback about the quality of answers. Two predominant topics of commands made in the first interaction include asking health care–related questions and streaming music. However, most of the follow-up reactions were unfavorable because of the difficulty in constructing a structured sentence for a command; misperceptions about how a voice assistant operates; and concerns about privacy, security, and financial burdens. Overall, a speech-based interaction was perceived to be beneficial owing to its efficiency and convenience, but no other benefits were perceived.ConclusionsOn the basis of the findings, we discuss design implications that can positively influence older adults' first experiences with a voice assistant, including helping better understand how a voice assistant works, incorporating mistakes and common interaction patterns into its design, and providing features tailored to the needs of older adults.
Highlights
Recent advances in speech technology and artificial intelligence have made speech a promising form of input modality to interact with personal computing technology
The design strategies include helping to better understand how a voice assistant works, incorporating mistakes and common interaction patterns into its design, and providing features tailored to the needs of older adults
Personal technologies have been considered a breakthrough to tackle challenges associated with aging, and efforts have been made to develop design strategies that meet the needs of the aging population. As part of this effort, this paper explored how older adults would perceive and experience a voice assistant, one fast-growing type of personal technology, when they first interact with it
Summary
Background Recent advances in speech technology and artificial intelligence have made speech a promising form of input modality to interact with personal computing technology. A smart speaker with an integrated voice assistant is increasingly available in the market to function as a virtual assistant to perform everyday tasks (eg, Amazon Echo, Google Home). As the worldwide population is aging and countries are facing ongoing challenges in caring for their aging population, there has been increased awareness and interest in the potential of smart speaker–based voice assistants to support older adults for their health and independence [2]. A voice assistant holds great promise to support older adults through its simple speech-based interaction modality, little is known about how older adults perceive and respond to the idea of talking to a device that does not have a graphical user interface. Smart speaker–based voice assistants promise support for the aging population, with the advantages of hands-free and eyes-free interaction modalities to handle requests. Little is known about how older adults perceive the benefits of this type of device
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