Investigating the Accessibility of Voice Assistants With Impaired Users: Mixed Methods Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Voice assistants allow users to control appliances and functions of a smart home by simply uttering a few words. Such systems hold the potential to significantly help users with motor and cognitive disabilities who currently depend on their caregiver even for basic needs (eg, opening a door). The research on voice assistants is mainly dedicated to able-bodied users, and studies evaluating the accessibility of such systems are still sparse and fail to account for the participants' actual motor, linguistic, and cognitive abilities.

Objective

The aim of this work is to investigate whether cognitive and/or linguistic functions could predict user performance in operating an off-the-shelf voice assistant (Google Home).

Methods

A group of users with disabilities (

SUBMITTER: Masina F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7547392 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature