2 Keeping voice in mind
This chapter covers
- How and why voice development differs from other types of development
- How people and computers talk and listen, and what’s hard and easy for each
- An introduction to the core principles of VUI design
Over the years, we’ve found that the people who succeed in creating a voice interaction understand both the underlying technology and how people use spoken language. A solid basis in these topics helps you choose between the many possible options you’ll have at every step of designing and building a voice system. In the words of Bower and Cirilo,[6] “Modern civilization demands that a person acquire and use language. It is imperative that we learn how it operates.”
This chapter begins with an overview of voice as a modality, a particular mode of interaction with its own particular characteristics. You learn how voice differs from other modalities and why that matters to the user experience and the ultimate success of what you create. You'll meet the two participants in voice-first dialogs, the ‘human’ and the ‘computer,’ and learn what's easy and challenging for each. Then you learn the core VUI principles that'll be your guiding light as you build your voice-first interactions.