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Voice User Interface
 

Finding a solution to help seniors who have little or no experience in technology learn how to communicate with and understand a native voice interface on a medical device wearable

Purpose

Client project to design and create native Voice User Interface content and dialogue flow for an eldercare medical device wearable.

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Objective 

The objective is to design a simple and intuitive native voice user interface for seniors over 75 so they understand how to communicate to their medical device wearable by commands,  interactions and simple graphics.

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Approach

My approach is focused on research, content strategy, IA, accessibility, usability heuristics, and current voice UI best practices. I researched and attended workshops on Amazon Alexa and Google home  VUI design guides for inspiration and implemented practices into a native design process.

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Responsibilities

•  Voice User Interface information hierarchy, dialogue flow and script for initial voice training of wearable to seniors, including intents and utterances

• Visual content, including text and icons

•  Quick start guide collateral

•  Work side-by-side with CEO, CTO, customer service, software engineers, and other team members in a Lean UX iterative environment

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Process

 

Research

•  Speech, visual and  hearing impediments of those over 75 years old

•  Voice requires cognitive processing so it's easy to overwhelm the listener

•  Hick's Law - limit choices

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Information Architecture

•  Dialog management; prioritize information

•  Design a linear experience

•  Use some spontaneity; repetition is a good teaching tool but can be monotonous

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Start with a conversation

•   Brief and relevant; cut out extra words and qualifiers (adverbs and passive voice)

•  Clearly present options without too many questions

•  Make it clear that the user needs to respond

 

Design for the ear

•  Read  out loud; use simulator to hear how service interprets text

•  Make it easy for senior to remember commands

•  Use the oxford comma to help create pauses in speech

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Listen to how people talk and consider how they listen

•  Context is key

•  Identify conversational patterns

•  Understand how questions are asked and answered

•  Consider high pitch and low pitch sounds in words​

My Application of  Nielsen Norman Group's
UI Design Usability Heuristics

to VUI Design Principles

Visibility of system status

•  Write dialogue with intent that listeners know where they are

•  Give regular feedback

•  Make interface discoverable; present all options clearly at any given time

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Match between system and real world

•  Start with a conversation by using words that are natural and spontaneous

•  Remove artificial syntax and non-conversational words

 

User control and freedom

•  Make it easy for the listener to have commands or questions repeated, yet commands should not feel didactic to listener

•  Listener's ability to exit conversation at anytime

•  Device cannot interrupt listener; permission-only conversation

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Consistency and standards

•  Identify conversational patterns

•  Consider audience and their listening, hearing and understanding capabilities (such as, seniors understand low pitch sounds more than high pitch)

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Error prevention

•  Listener should not feel at blame for the device having an error and not understanding them (there is a difference among hearing, listening and understanding and they all take concentration)

•  Listener should feel supported by the voice device

 

Flexibility and efficiency of use

•  Context is important; consider colloquial synonyms

•  Don't assume that listener knows what to do

•  Understand how questions are asked and answered

•  Allow listeners to not have to think about what to say, and allow them to not remember how to say it

 

Aesthetic and minimalist design

•  Less is more; sentences should brief

•  Clearly present options and avoid too many questions or options

• Consider grammar and syntax: cut out extra words like qualifiers such as adverbs, passive voice, and jargon or slang

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Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors

•  Make it clear that users need to respond

•  Listener should not be exposed directly to error handling

•  Let listener know what and where the error is and direct them to a place where they don't make an error

 

Help and documentation

•  Offer help for complex situations

•  Empty pauses (time) make listener feel like they are doing something wrong

•  VUI should respond immediately if they need help

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