Voice User Interface, or VUI, has grown dramatically in popularity recently.

VUI is using speech recognition technology to enable users to interact with devices using only their voices.

Some virtual assistants like 'Siri' (Apple) and 'Alexa' (Amazon/Microsoft) have allowed VUI to reach a significant development stage.

VUI allows for efficient interactions that are more 'human' than any other form of voice user interface such as a mouse or keyboard because "speech is the primary means of human communication".

Different types of user interface

Voice User Interface, or VUI, has exploded in popularity in recent years. VUI uses speech recognition technology to enable users to interact with the technology using only their voices. Virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa have brought VUI into the mainstream, with corporate giants like Google and Sonos following their lead. Companies such as Synqq and Nexmo have also leveraged VUI technologies to develop devices that allow for real-time translation and transcription. However, it's virtual assistants that have really captured the corporate imagination.

VUI allows for hands-free, efficient interactions that are more 'human' in nature than any other user interface. "Speech is the primary means of human communication," writes Clifford Nass, Stanford researcher and co-author of Wired for Speech, "...all cultures primarily persuade, inform, and build relationships through speech." To build working VUI systems, developers need to fully understand the complexities of human communication. Consumers expect a certain level of fluency in human idioms as well as a more conversational tone from the bots and virtual assistants they interact with on a daily basis.

We're not quite in Westworld yet, but it's clear that robotic assistants are here to stay. With this in mind, it is important to understand all the potential pitfalls and positive opportunities that come with this newly popular technology. So let's explore the good, the bad and the downright ugly side of VUI.

The Good

To create a good VUI, brands need to understand what their customers want from a virtual assistant and, more importantly, what aspects of interaction with artificial intelligence (AI) will bring them to the fullest. go VUI has many advantages that other user interfaces cannot provide, namely:

Personality and Tone 

With voice-based virtual assistants there is more opportunity for brands to inject a little personality and humor. Ask Siri to beatbox for you and she'll do just that, call her by the wrong name and she'll come back "Very funny. I mean, not funny 'ha-ha' but funny. From Star Trek." From Sir Mix A Lot, like Amazon's Alexa, Google Home is completely peppered with pop culture references. A more personal tone helps users forgive those moments when the virtual assistant gets things done. or unable to answer questions that would not bother a real human being.

Efficiency and Convenience 

The VUI requires nothing more than a voice command to perform tasks or answer questions. No longer will amateur chefs be forced to scramble to set timers lest they smudge the screens of their ultra-expensive smartphones. Now they can just ask Alexa and she will set it up for them. Users can quickly check the weather forecast when leaving the house, add an item to their grocery list without searching for a pen, or skip a song on Spotify without lifting a finger. VUIs are more likely to exist in devices that are online and connected throughout the day, devices that may one day become integral to our daily lives.

Bad

As discussed, the implementation of VUI is not without its obstacles. Problems that arise during the conceptualization and design process are often the result of an inadequate understanding of human psychology. In order to adopt VUI-based devices and prevent problems related to user frustration, we should consider the following:

Discovery and Retention 

While Amazon has made it very easy for third-party developers to come up with their own skills for the Amazon Echo, only 31% of these 7,000+ skills have more than one review, which is underutilized. is an indication of This problem is not unique to Amazon. To increase adoption rates, developers need to let users know what they can and can't do from the start, while still working to 'humanize' VUI systems. But these virtual assistants are built.

Understanding the Limits 

When a machine and a human are engaged in a conversation, we need to adapt the way we communicate – humans are not used to following rigid, inflexible linguistic laws, especially When it comes to speech. If users understand from the start the ways in which their device is limited, they are less likely to be frustrated when their assistant fails to complete a task or respond to a task that is too complex. Seems like an easy question.