Experiences: Voice User Interfaces

In this article, I’ll focus on some technological innovations in voice user interfaces (VUIs). What is a voice user interface, or VUI? VUIs employ speech-recognition technology that enables users to communicate via a computer, smartphone, smart speaker, or other device by using voice commands.

Some examples of VUIs include products such as Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, Google’s Assistant, and Microsoft’s Cortana. Voice technology is different from any other method of interaction because it relies on the user’s voice commands instead of traditional modes of communication.

How Do Voice User Interfaces Work?

Since VUIs are a relatively recent innovation in user-interface (UI) design, they incorporate many recent technological advancements, including artificial-intelligence (AI) technologies such as speech synthesis and automatic speech recognition. Once the user has adopted a VUI or installed it on a device, it can function successfully within many applications. Read More

What will be the voice-technology winner of tomorrow—voice-first or multimodal user interfaces? Those working in the voice user-experience sector are avidly discussing this hot topic—and UX researchers, UX designers, developers, marketers, and entrepreneurs may find it of interest as well.

In this article, I’ll define the terms voice first and multimodal, using current products as examples, explore some use cases and rationales for different types of user interfaces, consider contemporary research, and conceptualize the future of voice user interfaces. Should you keep your product’s visual features? Yes, because, ultimately, voice-enabled, multimodal user interfaces will be the preferred user experience. Read More

Voice user interfaces (VUIs) such as Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant have become some of the most useful products in common use. These products have become a very important part of numerous people’s daily lives.

These unique VUI devices and the powerful systems behind them enable users to easily interact with a variety of digital devices and apps using just simple voice commands. An efficient voice user interface can be easy to use, responsive, and even proactive.

If you’re still considering how these technological innovations can help human beings, continue reading this article to find out. Read More