Designing Effective Speech Interfaces

Social and Environmental Issues

Interfaces are used in the context of people's work and their physical environment. The guidelines here relate to these social and environmental issues.

Decide on Flexibility

Flexibility is a continuum with no particular right or wrong point.

You will need to decide on how flexible your interface is for different users and tasks. Maximum flexibility is not always best. If users are under stress and need to do some tasks quickly or infrequently, it may be best to lead them through step by step without a lot of flexibility. If, on the other hand, they need to complete simple tasks quickly and in an unpredictable order, you may want to build in flexibility. Flexibility is a continuum with no particular right or wrong point.

Consider Stress

People react to all stimuli differently when they are under stress. For example, an easy application can become difficult if the user is also dealing with a customer or co-worker who is upset. Analyze the amount of stress that will be in the environment when people are using your interface. Then analyze the amount of information and the type of activities your interface requires. For users under stress, you may need to make design decisions (such as reducing the amount of information or the amount of navigation) to compensate for the confusing effect of stress.

Consider Social Interaction

If people use software while they are interacting with another person, you must be aware of the impact your interface has on ...