How Do Older Adults Envision a Vocal Assistant? Results of a Voice User Interface Co-Design Session

Background: First commercial vocal assistant (VA) devices started to appear in 2011 and since then they are increasing in affordability and functionality, reaching the potential to support aging in place of older adults. However, there is limited understanding of how older adults desire to interact with these devices. In light of this, a co-design session was conducted with a double aim: defining the system persona and the conversational requirements of the VA, according to older adults’ perspective. Methods: 10 women aged between 68 and 87 years old and living independently in an Italian assisted living facility were involved in the study. During the activity, qualitative open questions about VA characteristics were asked to participants in order to investigate their opinions and perceptions. Multimedia contents (e.g., images, sounds and dialog flows) were shown to facilitate in envisioning VA characteristics and thus answering questions. Results: Most participants envisioned a young VA, like a “friend” or “neighbor” with an informal tone. No preferences emerged regarding VA gender, and most would not want it to be supported by an image. Regarding VA conversational requirements, participants preferred a light to indicate VA activation, a quick sound to signal the start of the conversation and a sound or music during the waiting time. In case VA does not understand the request, everyone agreed on asking them to repeat it. Conclusions: The findings provide significant information for developing VA addressed to older adults and for conducting further research and investigation.