Voice user interfaces (VUI) have arrived. Worldwide, this technology is in the lift and enabling the exchange of information through voice interactions. As a result of the growing popularity of this technology, companies fanatically started with the designing of their own skills and/or actions. But although, this over-enthusiasm, leaves the ‘why-question’ unanswered. This is the result of a technology push: the technology is leading, putting human needs in its shade
What is actually the problem that a VUI is solving? And is this really better compared to existing solutions? How do we make sure the integration of voice technology simplifies and enriches our lives? How do we design voice interactions that matter? Human-centered voice design is the answer.
Therefore, the central aim of this research is to enhance designers in the creation of meaningful voice interactions. The research has been divided into a theoretical background part and an exploratory research part, with methods including case studies, interviews and observations. The insights gathered through this research are boiled down into a condensed framework showing how designers could incorporate human-centered VUI design in their processes. The argument put forth in this research is that context factors and human-centered values determine to what extent a use case is meaningful, in relation to one’s job to be done. The proposed human-centered values are enlarging accessibility, enhancing convenience and/or enhancing experience. Building on this argument, a toolkit has been developed, turning the theory into a hands-on product to incorporate in every VUI design project. The toolkit includes a canvas to discover and validate human-centered VUI use cases and a card deck which both clarifies the canvas’ elements as well as triggers the designer’s VUI imagination with inspiring examples. With the canvas, you decide step-by-step if voice technology provides the right solution for the fulfillment of a job to be done, putting the needs of the human central to the modal. In chronological order these steps include: Framing the Job to be done, checking the context factors, ensure human-centered value and ranking the use case’s feasibility. The card deck with examples of contexts, target groups and specific types of interaction in which a VUI could be of extra value stimulates the creative process and hereby enhances the creation of meaningful voice use cases. Finally, the design approach and toolkit have been evaluated during a cooperative creative session with Valsplat and KPN online. Recommendatory insights gathered during this session create a revised version in the shape of a workshop. This set-up enables Valsplat to help organizations in creating voice solutions based on customer needs. With the results followed from this project, they want to initiate a new movement: putting humans in the center of the voice revolution, towards a world with voice interactions that are worthy of humans’ precious time!