This document discusses voice user interface (VUI) design. It includes sample dialogues for setting an alarm using voice commands. It discusses best practices for writing sample dialogues, such as keeping interactions brief, clearly presenting options, and limiting choices. It also discusses other VUI design considerations like writing for natural conversation and avoiding technical jargon. Wireflows and dialogue flows are presented as techniques for prototyping VUIs. Testing methods like lab studies, A/B testing, and wizard of oz testing are also mentioned. The document emphasizes that VUI design is still evolving and will continue to change rapidly with advances in technologies like artificial intelligence.
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Geeky Exercise
• Grab your mobile phone or notebook
• Open your calendar app of choice and
• Create a Meeting for this Friday at 2 pm
• At a local hotel
• Invite a contact to this meeting
• Count and make a note of every step
required to add the event to your calendar
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How many steps did you count?
[…]* please schedule a meeting with Jay at the
NH Hotel in Berlin from 2 pm to 3:30 pm
this Friday
* Device agnostic example
15. » We’re just figuring out what works in
this space.
But it’s exciting to see how voice
technology is making it easier for
people to get things done,and we’re
all learning together.«
- Scott Huffmann / VP Engineering, Google Assistant
37. »Voice will explode and drive companies
the size of Facebook and Instagram.
The ones who act early and provide
real value are destined to succeed.«
- Gary Vaynerchuck / Entrepreneur and Investor (likes the sound of his own voice)
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We’ve come a long way
https://careerfoundry.com/en/courses/voice-user-interface-design-with-amazon-alexa
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We’ve come a long way
https://us.aibo.comhttps://ctinventor.wordpress.com/2012/01/13/connecticut-product-of-the-day-radio-rex
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The Future of Voice is…
▪ still unwritten
▪ dependent on advances in ASR*; NLU*, ML* and AI*
▪ hungry for sufficient amount of data
▪ developing on steroids
▪ changing almost every week
Automatic Speech Recognition, Natural Language Understanding, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence
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Same questions
• What’s the business goal?
• Who will be using it?
• What will it be used for?
• What problem(s) will it solve?
• What device(s) will be used?
• Where and when will it be used?
• What are the limitations?
• What are the alternatives?
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Same, same (but slightly different)
https://careerfoundry.com/en/course/voice-user-interface-design-with-amazon-alexa
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Good VUI Design
• Makes a task faster and easier with voice
• Sets clear expectations on what it can do
• Minimizes friction
• Is consistently reliable
• Surprises and delights customers
• Delivers fresh content
https://www.forbes.com/sites/vivianrosenthal/2018/01/09/interview-with-toni-reid-vice-president-of-alexa-experience-and-echo-devices-at-amazon
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Do try this at home
https://careerfoundry.com/en/course/voice-user-interface-design-with-amazon-alexa
76. »Voices will have a social meaning,whether
wanted or not.
[…] Negative social responses to
inconsistencies between voice and other
features result in confusion, distraction,
and dislike.«
- Clifford Nass / The Media Equation (2002)
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Wireframes for your ears
• Write Sample Dialogues
• Document basic interaction options
• Demonstrate highlights and lowlights
• Test early, test often
• Make sure you’re on the right track
• Align your team and other stakeholders
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Sample Dialogue
Core Skill: Set Alarm
U: Alexa, set an alarm
S: Great, set an alarm. For what time?
U: 7 a.m.
S: Alarm set for 7 a.m.
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Sample Dialogue incl. Alts
Core Skill: Set Alarm
U: Set an alarm
S: Great, set an alarm. For what time?
U: 7 a.m.
S: (Alt 1) Alarm set for 7 a.m.
S: (Alt 2) Okay, your alarm is set for 7 a.m.
S: (Alt 3) All right, I’ve set your alarm for 7 a.m.
S: (Alt 4) Alarm set.
S: (Alt 5) Setting your alarm for 7 a.m.
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Another Sample Dialogue
Core Skill: Set Alarm for a Future Date
U: Set an alarm
S: Great, set an alarm. For what time?
U: 7 a.m. on Monday, August 8
S: I can’t find Monday, August 8. Do you want the alarm for Monday,
August 7 or Tuesday, August 8?
U: What? I’m confused. Oh, it’s Monday, August 7.
S: Okay, setting an alarm for 7 a.m. on Monday, August 7. Is that right?
U: Yes.
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Wireframes for your ears
• Keep interactions brief
• Clearly present options
• Limit to 3 choices at a time
• Ask for information one piece at a time
• Indicate when user needs to provide info
• Don’t assume user knows what to do or what will happen.
•
https://developer.amazon.com/docs/custom-skills/voice-design-best-practices-legacy.html
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Wireframes for your ears
• Write for how people talk, instead of how they read and write
• Conversation Markers (“First…”, “Finally…”; “OK”; “Cool”)
• Contractions (“It’s…”, “I’m…”)
• Use SSML tags to add human touch (volume, speed, pauses,
emphasis)
• Avoid repetitive phrases
• Avoid Technical and Legal Jargon
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Enthusiastic
Users
Actors
Audio
Engineers
Listen and learn
Film
Directors
Writers
Counsellors
Product
Owners
Speech
Therapists
Sound
Designers
Brand
Experts
Call Center
Agents
Customer
Service
Linguists
User created by Indygo for Noun Project
149. »New input devices don’t kill their
predecessors,they stack on top of them[…]
Voice won’t kill touchscreens.
Touchscreens didn’t kill the mouse.
The mouse didn’t kill the command line.«
- Des Traynor / Chief Strategy Officer at Intercom
150. »Voice isn’t, as is often claimed the new
UI paradigm, it is another new interface
that we must design for and deliver on.«
- Des Traynor / Chief Strategy Officer at Intercom
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Available for
• VUI Projects
• UX Projects (Lead & Strategic)
• XD Public Workshops & Customised Training
• Other Workshops & Talks
• Cup(s) of tea
@cklavery Clive K. Lavery
197. @cklavery #SXC18
Available for
• VUI Projects
• UX Projects (Lead & Strategic)
• XD Public Workshops & Customised Training
• Other Workshops & Talks
• Cup(s) of tea
@cklavery Clive K. Lavery