Use of voice activated interfaces by people with intellectual disability

Abstract

People with intellectual disability are keen users of information technology, but the need for spelling and typing skills often presents a barrier to information and media search and access. The paper presents a study to understand how people with intellectual disabilities can use Voice Activated Interfaces (VAIs) to access information and assist in daily activities. The study involves observations and video analysis of 18 adults with intellectual disability using VAIs and performing 4 tasks: calibrating the VAIs, using voice assistant (Siri or Google) to search images, using voice to query Youtube, and using the voice assistant to perform a daily task (managing calendar, finding directions, etc.). 72% of participants stated that this was their preferred form of input. 50% could perform all four tasks they attempted with successful outcomes, and 55% three of the tasks. We identify the main barriers and opportunities for existing VAIs and suggest future improvements mainly around audio feedback given to participants. Notably, we found that participants' mental model of the VAIs was that of a person, implications for which include the user having to speak in long polite sentences and expecting voice responses and feedback about the state of the device. We suggest ways that VAIs can be adjusted so that they are more inclusive.