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"What can i help you with?": Infrequent users' experiences of intelligent personal assistants

  • Benjamin R. Cowan
  • , Nadia Pantidi
  • , David Coyle
  • , Kellie Morrissey
  • , Peter Clarke
  • , Sara Al-Shehri
  • , David Earley
  • , Natasha Bandeira

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingsConference proceedingpeer-review

Abstract

Intelligent Personal Assistants (IPAs) are widely available on devices such as smartphones. However, most people do not use them regularly. Previous research has studied the experiences of frequent IPA users. Using qualitative methods we explore the experience of infrequent users: people who have tried IPAs, but choose not to use them regularly. Unsurprisingly infrequent users share some of the experiences of frequent users, e.g. frustration at limitations on fully hands-free interaction. Significant points of contrast and previously unidentified concerns also emerge. Cultural norms and social embarrassment take on added significance for infrequent users. Humanness of IPAs sparked comparisons with human assistants, juxtaposing their limitations. Most importantly, significant concerns emerged around privacy, monetization, data permanency and transparency. Drawing on these findings we discuss key challenges, including: designing for interruptability; reconsideration of the human metaphor; issues of trust and data ownership. Addressing these challenges may lead to more widespread IPA use.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 19th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services, MobileHCI 2017
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery, Inc
ISBN (Electronic)9781450350754
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 4 Sep 2017
Externally publishedYes
Event19th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services, MobileHCI 2017 - Vienna, Austria
Duration: 4 Sep 20177 Sep 2017

Publication series

NameProceedings of the 19th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services, MobileHCI 2017

Conference

Conference19th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services, MobileHCI 2017
Country/TerritoryAustria
CityVienna
Period4/09/177/09/17

Keywords

  • Intelligent personal assistants
  • Privacy
  • Speech interfaces
  • Trust
  • User experience

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