from speech to conversation: a ux challenge

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From Speech to Conversation A UX Challenge Puget Sound World Usability Day November 12, 2015 Siri Mehus, Blink UX

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Siri: The Perfect Robot for Our Time The Atlantic, Oct 12, 2011   Siri is One Funny Lady New York Times (blog), Oct 12, 2011   Siri is Sassy and Self-aware CBS News, Oct 13, 2011   Why I’m Swooning Over Siri CNN, Oct 10, 2011   Dear Siri, Do You Love Me? International Business Times, Nov 17, 2011   Talk Dirty to Me, Siri Slate, Oct 18, 2011    

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Siri, we have to talk; Our communication stinks CNET (blog), November 3, 2011   Siri is Apple’s Broken Promise Gizmodo, Dec 5, 2011   Siri, Why Can’t You Understand Me? Fast Company, Dec 7, 2011   Siri is Sexist Forbes, December 1, 2011   Apple’s Siri not as smart as she looks, lawsuit charges CNET, March 20, 2012    With Apple’s Siri, a Romance Gone Sour New York Times (blog), July 15, 2012  

Fast-forward to 2015

“Sometimes it doesn’t catch exactly what you say…It’s frustrating at times, especially when you try to correct it and it just gets worse. Then after about the fourth attempt you just give up and type it in. You’ve spent more time saying it than it would have taken to type it in.”

- A Siri User

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Why voice now?

Things

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Making voice work in this technological environment is fundamentally a user experience challenge.

Speech à Conversation

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What do we mean by “conversation”?

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Human Conversation

Where the action is

Interpersonal Linguistic Interactional

1. Talk is Action

2. Sequence Matters

3. Breakdowns are Repairable

3 Principles of Human Conversation

1. Talk is Action

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Treat every human utterance as having an intent.

Determining intent can be difficult.

Treat every machine utterance as having an effect.

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“Sorry. I didn’t understand the question I heard.”

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2. SEQUENCE MATTERS

Siri: What can I help you with?

Me: I don’t need any help.

Siri: Who am I to say otherwise?

3. Breakdowns are Repairable.

Well, obviously the technology just needs to get better.

Understanding

Design for errors.

Use human methods for repairing understanding.

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Methods of Repair

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1 Trina: How do you say, “I want the big cheeseburger” in Spanish?

2 Siri: Here is what I found on the web.

3 Trina: I mean, can you translate it for me?

4 Siri: I’m sorry. I can’t find any translation services.

5 Trina: How do I get translation services?

6 Siri: I’m sorry. I can’t find any translation services.

7 Trina: How do I get them?

8 Siri: Let me think about that.

Here is what I found on the web for “How do I get them?”

9 Trina: Aaaaaah! Forget it!

Where the action is

Interpersonal Linguistic Interactional

Personality?

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Siri: What can I help you with?

Me: I don’t need any help.

Siri: Who am I to say otherwise?

Where the action is

Interpersonal Linguistic Interactional

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How human?

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What are the right combinations of human and machine modalities?

How do they need to work together?

How do we know?

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Thank you! siri@blinkux.com www.blinkux.com @BlinkUX