Understanding Non-native English Speakers' Perceptions of Voice User Interfaces with and without a Visual Display: A Usability Study

In this study, we conducted a usability evaluation of the Google Home Smart Speaker (without a visual display) and Lenovo Smart Display (with an attached screen) with 34 non-native English speakers. The findings show that both commercial VUIs are user-friendly, easy-to-use, and useful for non-native English speakers regardless of their English language proficiency. However, the study points out that both VUIs still need improvements and enhancements in usability particularly for non-native English speakers. Although there is no usability difference between these devices, the findings show that most of the participants prefer to use VUIs with an attached display that can be an advantage, particularly for non-native English speakers. The usability recommendations and findings in this study can be insightful into the future study in VUI for diverse user groups.