Abstract

Speech interaction is becoming increasingly sophisticated and prevalent in everyday life due to recent advances in the area of artificial intelligence and high adoption rates of voice assistants (VAs). However, besides using a VA, individuals typically have various alternatives when pursuing certain tasks. To better understand when and why users choose speech interaction over traditional user interfaces, we conducted 31 one-to-one interviews. We analyzed the benefits and costs that users evaluate when using VA by applying means-end chain theory and value-focused thinking. Our findings reveal five fundamental (efficiency, convenience, ease of use, less cognitive effort, and enjoyment) and twelve means objectives that users evaluate when deciding on whether to use their VA or not. The resulting means-ends objectives network informs researchers by providing a comprehensive overview of relevant factors regarding VA use. Practitioners may learn how to further improve and sell VA characteristics.

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Examining the Use of Voice Assistants: A Value-Focused Thinking Approach

Speech interaction is becoming increasingly sophisticated and prevalent in everyday life due to recent advances in the area of artificial intelligence and high adoption rates of voice assistants (VAs). However, besides using a VA, individuals typically have various alternatives when pursuing certain tasks. To better understand when and why users choose speech interaction over traditional user interfaces, we conducted 31 one-to-one interviews. We analyzed the benefits and costs that users evaluate when using VA by applying means-end chain theory and value-focused thinking. Our findings reveal five fundamental (efficiency, convenience, ease of use, less cognitive effort, and enjoyment) and twelve means objectives that users evaluate when deciding on whether to use their VA or not. The resulting means-ends objectives network informs researchers by providing a comprehensive overview of relevant factors regarding VA use. Practitioners may learn how to further improve and sell VA characteristics.