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Design guidelines for voice user interfaces
Revisiting 10 usability heuristics for speech interaction
If you are working in design or software development, then you have probably heard of Nielsen’s ten usability heuristics. The guide lists rules of thumb that are supported by a long history of usability testing with all sorts of interfaces. We’ve seen these guidelines in action mostly in graphical interfaces, but how do we use them for speech interaction?
Fortunately, Murad and colleagues summarized some research-backed issues and suggestions specific to voice user interfaces. Without further ado, here are the ten heuristics:
Show the system status.
During conversations, a person can judge if they are understood or not based on facial expressions and body language. People can also tell if it’s their turn to speak or listen.
Good voice user interfaces are particularly challenging to build because they are inherently transient and invisible, according to Schnelle and Lyardet. Once the user communicates the commands, it won’t be there anymore unless there’s a visual interface tied to the system.
To make the system status visible, the start and end of the speech interaction must be obvious. In case of errors and missed information, make…
