Intro
Voice interaction prototyping, also known as VUI design, focuses on conversation-based design. Because conversation design focuses heavily on user interactions via sound and audio, there are a plethora of considerations that voice designers must prepare for. For example, the nuances of conversations emphasize the importance of handling errors and other implicit interactions in VUIs. Ultimately, voice user-interface designers should be designing for how people talk rather than how a designer wants them to talk.
Maple is a personalized dorm assistant for undergraduates, especially freshmen, to support them in their transition to college. The specific key tasks planned out for this assignment are setting up alarms for classes, reminders for assignments, checking the local area for weather updates or shops/restaurants, and sending out messages.
Who
Undergraduates living on-campus in dorms during college.
What
A personalized voice assistant in on-campus housing.
Why
To support students during their transition to living on-campus.
Scripts
Scenario 1: Setting an Alarm
User
Hey Maple, can you set an alarm for 7:30 am?
Maple
Okay, an alarm has been set to 7:30 am for tomorrow morning.
Do you want this alarm to repeat on weekdays, only?
User
Sure.
Maple
One moment...
Maple
I set the alarm to repeat on weekdays, only.
Maple
Anything else I can help you with today?
User
No thanks.
Scenario 2: Setting a reminder
User
Maple, remind me that I have to submit my CHID paper by 11:59 tonight.
Maple
What time before 11:59 pm do you want to be reminded by?
User
Umm… Remind me in two hours.
Maple
Okay, I set a reminder at XX:YY PM for you to “submit CHID paper”.
Scenario 3: Asking about the Weather
User
What’s the weather like outside?
Maple
Let me check.
Today will be sunny with clear skies, with a sun set at 5:00 pm. Would you like to hear about the weather for the rest of the week as well?
User
Sure!
Maple
Okay.
The rest of the week will be overcast, with a slight chance of rain beginning on Wednesday.
User
Thanks, Maple!
Scenario 4: Checking for Nearby Restaurants
User
Hey Maple, are there any places still selling food?
Maple
Hi user, I’m not quite sure what you mean. Are you looking for restaurants or grocery stores?
User
What restaurants are open around me?
Maple
Okay, checking for any nearby restaurants…
I found 3 places that are open until 2 am.
The closest place is ____. Would you like me to send you the directions?
User
Sure!
Maple
Okay, opening directions now...
Scenario 5: Replying to a Message from Kailey
User
Maple, send Kailey a message saying that I’ll be 5 minutes late to our meeting!
Maple
Which Kailey did you want to send a message to? Kailey Tea? Or Kailey Amanda?
User
Kailey Amanda..
Maple
Okay, sending “I’ll be 5 minutes late” to Kailey Amanda.
Analysis
I first drafted up key tasks for this assignment with the assumption that the VUI would act as a voice assistant for the general college student population. After performing table reads with a peer, one suggestion was to make the VUI more specific for students in a dorm-environment. After iterating on these scripts, I decided Maple would be used for students adjusting to their transition/move-in to their college dorms.
Reflection
Desirability
I think that with the prevalence of no-touch/contactless interactions during the pandemic, there is a somewhat strong desire to have a voice assistant for a student’s living situation. However, with the abundance of voice assistants like Alexa, Siri, or Google Home, it’s difficult for Maple to stand out with unique key interactions for users. During my table reads, my reviewer noted that it would be interesting to have a dorm assistant to talk to because it could help students feel less lonely, especially if they’re living alone.
Usability
During my table reads, I thought that my short conversations meant that Maple would be intuitive and easy to use, however, it’s still important to consider any possible error handling in conversations. Scenario 4: Checking for Nearby Restaurants and Scenario 5: Replying to a Message demonstrates one of the possible error messaging for Maple, and below are a few more examples:
· Clarification for VUI → Maple: I’m not sure I understand your question. Can you repeat that?
· Clarification for User→ Maple: You can ask me to ___ or ___, instead.
Feasibility
I think that the Maple voice user-interface is feasible to make, however, there are many more scenarios and key tasks that need to be accounted for. The physical form/prototype of Maple may be harder to incorporate into the dorms; I imagine Maple would be built into the wall systems or desk of users, but that would require more user testing to determine how approachable/usable the device is for students.
Takeaways
I’ve learned through this process how difficult it is to design a voice user-interface focusing on conversations, only, because there are so many contextual factors to consider. The most challenging part of this project was deciding how users could initiate key tasks and building a natural conversation from there, as well as figuring out how to end it without being too abrupt. In future iterations of this design, I would consider how Maple would be FERPA-compliant and sync with student’s courses and schedules to help them navigate their college life more efficiently.