Citation:
Kim, M.K.&G, Druga, S.&G, Esmaeili, S.G, Woodward, J.G, Shaw, A.G, Jain, A.G, Langham, J.U, Hollingshead, K.&&, Lovato, S.B.&&, Beneteau, E.&G, Ruiz, J.&F, Anthony, L., and Hiniker, A.&F 2022. Examining Voice Assistants in the Context of Children’s Speech. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction. Volume 34, December 2022, Article no.100540, 13 pp. [PDF].
Abstract:
“An estimated 3.25 billion voice assistants (VAs) are in homes around the world, but these devices are not always able to recognize and respond to children’s speech. To inform the design of VAs that support kids, we report on a lab study where 28 5- to 10-year-old participants interacted with a commercial VA to: (1) attempt to execute common VA-supported requests (such as setting an alarm), (2) recite a set of such scripts verbatim, and (3) engage in unstructured conversation. We find that devices only respond appropriately to the content of children’s speech half of the time. Frequency of appropriate responses increased with children’s age and as their discourse became more standardized. Based on themes in participants’ speech, we identify design opportunities in child-VA interaction, such as exploring a topic or responding to a conversational bid. In addition to our empirical findings, we contribute a structured corpus of children’s speech.”
Graphical Abstract:
