Sorry, I didn’t get that: evaluating usability issues with AI-assisted smart speakers
Inexperienced users of voice-controlled smart speakers face challenges due to lack of system feedback
2024-07-16
(Press-News.org)
With the rapid development of AI technology, voice-controlled smart speakers are becoming increasingly popular due to their convenience and ability to control compatible home devices. Despite the rise in use, smart speakers often do not have screens and little-to-none of the visual information feedback common to manually operated devices. This aspect complicates their usability, thus providing room for research and subsequent improvement.
As such, a research team led by Dr. Toshihisa Doi, a lecturer at Osaka Metropolitan University’s Graduate School of Human Life and Ecology, recruited 39 young adults (22 males and 17 females), who had never used smart speakers, to evaluate the learnability of VUIs (voice user interfaces), such as how a new user learns to operate them and usability problems.
In the experiment, participants were asked to perform 10 operation tasks on the smart speaker under four conditions that combined voice or remote operation, with and without a display screen.
The results of the usability evaluation showed that although the user became proficient to some extent after two to three tries under all conditions, the degree of usability remained the same. Lack of feedback from the system and distrust of the system due to response errors possibly contributed to usability issues.
“These results will contribute to improving the usability of the ever-developing smart speakers,” stated Dr. Doi. “Though it is important to consider the technical aspects as the number of new products and services rise, we would like to continue our research to improve the usability and adoption of these technologies so that even those unfamiliar with them can enjoy their convenience without being left behind.”
###
About OMU
Established in Osaka as one of the largest public universities in Japan, Osaka Metropolitan University is committed to shaping the future of society through “Convergence of Knowledge” and the promotion of world-class research. For more research news, visit https://www.omu.ac.jp/en/ and follow us on social media: X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn.
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2024-07-16
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is one of the most common chronic liver diseases, primarily caused by metabolic disorders and systemic inflammatory responses. Although the incidence of MASH is gradually increasing, there is a lack of effective drugs and methods for its treatment, thus limiting therapeutic options for MASH. Professor Liu Lei's team has long focused on the treatment and molecular mechanisms of liver-related diseases. Due to cerium's significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, as well as its hepatophilicity and good biosafety, it shows great potential ...
2024-07-16
Krishna Reddy, MD, MS, a physician-investigator at the Medical Practice Evaluation Center and the Tobacco Research and Treatment Center at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, is the senior author of a recently published paper in Journal of the International AIDS Society: Tobacco Smoking, Smoking Cessation and Life Expectancy Among People with HIV on Antiretroviral Therapy in South Africa: A Simulation Modelling Study.
What Question Were You Investigating in this Study?
Now that more people with HIV in South Africa are on antiretroviral therapy (medicines to treat ...
2024-07-16
If a man and a woman each suffer a heart attack, you may assume the symptoms and diagnoses should be the same.
That’s not always the case. While men are more likely to show the more “typical” signs of a heart attack — chest pains, shortness of breath — women are more likely to experience pain in their necks or symptoms that feel like heartburn or nausea. An angiogram that shows a blockage in male blood vessels may not show occlusion in a woman’s smaller vessels, and these differences can lead ...
2024-07-16
Investigators at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have uncovered new details about the role of a protein called interferon regulatory factor (IRF1) in cancer progression and treatment response, offering new insight that can potentially help improve the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy.
The study, published in Cell Reports, reveals how IRF1 can both hinder and help the body's immune response to tumors, depending upon which cells the protein is found in.
“We know IRF1 plays ...
2024-07-16
Friends of young people who self-harm or have suicidal thoughts may need additional support to prevent negative outcomes on their own mental wellbeing, in addition to the support needed by young people who self-harm.
While much research rightly focuses on young people at risk and their families, friendships are rarely considered in research into self-harm, according to a new study from experts at the University of Birmingham.
In an extensive literature review, the team set out to draw together all the research in this area to reach a better understanding of common themes around friendship and self-harm ...
2024-07-16
Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have found that children living in areas with high levels of deprivation are three times more likely to have severe tooth decay that requires a dental extraction in hospital, compared with children living in more affluent areas. The findings highlight an urgent need for equitable access to preventive dentistry.
In the study, published today (16 July 2024) in BMJ Public Health, researchers analysed de-identified GP and hospital records for 600,000 children ...
2024-07-16
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, July 15, 2024
Contact:
Jillian McKoy, jpmckoy@bu.edu
Michael Saunders, msaunder@bu.edu
##
Lowering Systolic Blood Pressure below 120 mmHg May Reduce Dementia Risk Among Black, Latino Populations
A new study suggests that reducing systolic blood pressure below the clinically safe threshold of 120 mmHg over time may produce slight health-protective benefits against late-life dementia and help reduce racial and ethnic disparities in both hypertension and hypertension control.
Hypertension is one of the most modifiable risk factors for dementia, but most research on dementia risk reduction through blood ...
2024-07-16
AUSTIN, Texas — On Prime Day, Amazon shoppers will be able to browse over 600 million products. They may not be aware that most of those listings are from non-Amazon sellers, who account for 60% of sales on the platform. Most are small- and medium-sized businesses: bookstores selling used hardbacks, toymakers selling original goods, and distributors unloading clothes.
What shoppers also don’t see is the choice that the platform and the seller make about how to interact. Is it better ...
2024-07-16
By Jake Siegel
SEATTLE, WASH.—July 15, 2024—How do neurons react to magic mushrooms? What happens in the brain when we see motion, or when we recognize grain patterns in a piece of wood? How do our brains track the subtle changes in our friends’ appearances over time?
The Allen Institute has launched four projects to investigate these questions through OpenScope, a shared neuroscience observatory. Just as astronomers use a few well-equipped observatories to study the universe, the OpenScope program lets neuroscientists worldwide propose and direct experiments on the Allen Brain Observatory pipeline. ...
2024-07-15
In a significant leap forward for quantum technology, researchers have achieved a milestone in harnessing the frequency dimension within integrated photonics. This breakthrough not only promises advancements in quantum computing but also lays the groundwork for ultra-secure communications networks.
Integrated photonics, the manipulation of light within tiny circuits on silicon chips, has long held promise for quantum applications due to its scalability and compatibility with existing telecommunications infrastructure.
In a study published in Advanced Photonics, researchers from the Centre for Nanosciences and Nanotechnology (C2N), Télécom Paris, ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Sorry, I didn’t get that: evaluating usability issues with AI-assisted smart speakers
Inexperienced users of voice-controlled smart speakers face challenges due to lack of system feedback
