When Is Voice The Best Choice? with Carol Valdez

You talk into the air and stuff happens

That’s pretty cool, right?

But not everything makes sense to do with voice

A bad GUI is hard to use, but a bad VUI isn’t used at all.

Imagine trying to read a website through a straw—mentally

processing an audio signal feels a lot like that.

~Daniel Padgett,Google

Machines know everything, right?

We are all – by any practical definition of words – foolproof and

incapable of error.

~ HAL2001: A Space Odyssey

So, when is voice the best choice?

things that make voice a good choice8

When you’re giving people something they need

A gopher A teacherA personal assistant

Entertainment A bouncer

A secretary

1

When voice is a good choice: 1 of 8

When using your voice makes a task easier

My hands are full or covered in

gunk

I need to keep my eyes on

something else

I ’m in the middle of a bunch of

stuff

I ’m with other people and we want

to know something

I have an impairment

(temp or permanent)

2

When voice is a good choice: 2 of 8

When you can personalize the experience

Will it be a logged in experience?Being able to remember preferences will save users

from having to repeat information every time they speak to the bot.

3

When voice is a good choice: 3 of 8

Johnnie Walker recently launched a skill that takes you on a guided whiskey tasting.

4 When you can deliver content people enjoy

Just tell Alexa which scotch you’re drinking, and she tells you all about it, walking you through

sipping, adding drops of water, and appreciating the various flavors and aromas.

When voice is a good choice: 4 of 8

When you can build empathy through your brand personality

More than just a voice; your bot is a character that engages your customers and embodies the brand values of your organization.

5

A rich and detailed personality makes your voicebot more• approachable • believable• relevant

When voice is a good choice: 5 of 8

The bot’s personality will affect its behavior across the board

• How it asks questions • How it copes with errors• How it provides help

• How it handles the unknown

When you can include a human in the loop

Even the most advanced bot will be stumped by some responses or requests.

You need to build loops that can also include a human assistant, if needed.

That’s lame. I ’m going to

sue you guys!

6

When voice is a good choice: 6 of 8

When you can combine it with a visual interface

Users tend to trust a system far more if they receive feedback and confirmation

through a more visual channel.

7

When voice is a good choice: 7 of 8

Voice + visual = reassurance

When you have the right resources to devote to it

• Someone who can write• Someone who can design for voice• Someone who can analyze the data• Someone who can train the model

Love your copywriters &

content strategists.

~John Maeda, Automatic

8

When voice is a good choice: 8 of 8

So, start with your customer

What else might they

doing at the same time?

What do they want or need? Where are

they when they want it? What info will

they need to provide?

Consider common “placeonas”

Library =

hands free eyes free

voice restricted ears free

Cooking =

hands dirtyeyes freeears freevoice free

Socializing =

hands free eyes free ears

busy voice busy

Driving =

hands busyeyes busyears free

voice free

And, focus on experiences that make sense for your customers in their lives

People will use what does and avoid what doesn’t.

Questions?

Carol Valdez carolsv@amazon.com