Investigating Users' Perceptions of Light Behaviors in Smart Speakers
Publications
Global Survey and Expert Interviews (Full Paper - CUI’21): Assessing Effectiveness and Interpretability of Light Behaviors in Smart Speakers.
Poster (CSCW’19): Investigating Users' Perceptions of Light Behaviors in Smart-Speakers.
Skills
User Research, Usability Testing, Surveys, Interviews, Product Research, Human-Centered Design, Statistical Analysis (Parametric and Non-Parametric Analyses, Regression)
Light is an important communication modality. Smart speakers leverage light behaviors with different colors and shapes to deliver a wide range of information. However, there has not been sufficient work to assess the effectiveness of these light behaviors. That is, can users correctly interpret light behaviors from smart speakers? How effective are these light behaviors across different cultures?
We employed a mixed methods approach to investigate how users perceive the light apparatus on Amazon Echo and Google Home devices. We conducted online surveys with 1,006 users along with expert interviews to analyze the perceived utility of these light apparatus, as well as to provide design recommendations to enhance understandability and usability of these apparatus. Our primary research goal from this study was to explore a new modality (light apparatus) within smart speakers to ultimately enhance the experience for populations such as the deaf and hard of hearing community, who cannot solely rely on voice interactions with smart speakers.
Our findings have important implications for future smart speaker design and the use of light as a communication modality in HCI. Feel free to check out my papers featuring results for our survey and expert interviews!