Understanding the Needs and Challenges of Using Conversational Agents for Deaf Older Adults

Blair, Johnna; Abdullah, Saeed

doi:10.1145/3311957.3359487

Cited by 16 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…This raises a new set of questions for chatbot designers about how to make health chatbots more accessible and user-friendly for older adults. For example, a speech interface can be incorporated into chatbot systems to facilitate communication between elderly users and health chatbots [ 54 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Utilization of Self-Diagnosis Health Chatbots in Real-World Settings: Case Study

Fan¹,

Chao²,

Zhang³

et al. 2021

J Med Internet Res

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Background Artificial intelligence (AI)-driven chatbots are increasingly being used in health care, but most chatbots are designed for a specific population and evaluated in controlled settings. There is little research documenting how health consumers (eg, patients and caregivers) use chatbots for self-diagnosis purposes in real-world scenarios. Objective The aim of this research was to understand how health chatbots are used in a real-world context, what issues and barriers exist in their usage, and how the user experience of this novel technology can be improved. Methods We employed a data-driven approach to analyze the system log of a widely deployed self-diagnosis chatbot in China. Our data set consisted of 47,684 consultation sessions initiated by 16,519 users over 6 months. The log data included a variety of information, including users’ nonidentifiable demographic information, consultation details, diagnostic reports, and user feedback. We conducted both statistical analysis and content analysis on this heterogeneous data set. Results The chatbot users spanned all age groups, including middle-aged and older adults. Users consulted the chatbot on a wide range of medical conditions, including those that often entail considerable privacy and social stigma issues. Furthermore, we distilled 2 prominent issues in the use of the chatbot: (1) a considerable number of users dropped out in the middle of their consultation sessions, and (2) some users pretended to have health concerns and used the chatbot for nontherapeutic purposes. Finally, we identified a set of user concerns regarding the use of the chatbot, including insufficient actionable information and perceived inaccurate diagnostic suggestions. Conclusions Although health chatbots are considered to be convenient tools for enhancing patient-centered care, there are issues and barriers impeding the optimal use of this novel technology. Designers and developers should employ user-centered approaches to address the issues and user concerns to achieve the best uptake and utilization. We conclude the paper by discussing several design implications, including making the chatbots more informative, easy-to-use, and trustworthy, as well as improving the onboarding experience to enhance user engagement.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Utilization of Self-Diagnosis Health Chatbots in Real-World Settings: Case Study

Fan¹,

Chao²,

Zhang³

et al. 2021

J Med Internet Res

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show abstract

“…Instead, VUI can be a promising solution. As speech is a natural method of interpersonal communication, VUI can be much easier for older adults to learn and operate [8][9][10]. However, given the potential benefits brought by VUI, how older adults perceive VUI remains unclear.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Investigation of Adoption of Voice-User Interface (VUI) in Smart Home Systems among Chinese Older Adults

Song

Yanpu

Cheng

2022

Sensors

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Driven by advanced voice interaction technology, the voice-user interface (VUI) has gained popularity in recent years. VUI has been integrated into various devices in the context of the smart home system. In comparison with traditional interaction methods, VUI provides multiple benefits. VUI allows for hands-free and eyes-free interaction. It also enables users to perform multiple tasks while interacting. Moreover, as VUI is highly similar to a natural conversation in daily lives, it is intuitive to learn. The advantages provided by VUI are particularly beneficial to older adults, who suffer from decreases in physical and cognitive abilities, which hinder their interaction with electronic devices through traditional methods. However, the factors that influence older adults’ adoption of VUI remain unknown. This study addresses this research gap by proposing a conceptual model. On the basis of the technology adoption model (TAM) and the senior technology adoption model (STAM), this study considers the characteristic of VUI and the characteristic of older adults through incorporating the construct of trust and aging-related characteristics (i.e., perceived physical conditions, mobile self-efficacy, technology anxiety, self-actualization). A survey was designed and conducted. A total of 420 Chinese older adults participated in this survey, and they were current or potential users of VUI. Through structural equation modeling, data were analyzed. Results showed a good fit with the proposed conceptual model. Path analysis revealed that three factors determine Chinese older adults’ adoption of VUI: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and trust. Aging-related characteristics also influence older adults’ adoption of VUI, but they are mediated by perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and trust. Specifically, mobile self-efficacy is demonstrated to positively influence trust and perceived ease of use but negatively influence perceived usefulness. Self-actualization exhibits positive influences on perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Technology anxiety only exerts influence on perceived ease of use in a marginal way. No significant influences of perceived physical conditions were found. This study extends the TAM and STAM by incorporating additional variables to explain Chinese older adults’ adoption of VUI. These results also provide valuable implications for developing suitable VUI for older adults as well as planning actionable communication strategies for promoting VUI among Chinese older adults.

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“…However, several challenges exist that prevent older adults from interacting with voice assistants [ 5 ]. One problem is associated with hearing loss, a common physical complaint in older adults [ 27 ]. Because older adults using hearing aids often cannot cope with high levels of ambient noise or have difficulty processing a dialog without contextual information, hearing loss imposes a significant challenge to the use of voice assistants for many of them.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring How Older Adults Use a Smart Speaker–Based Voice Assistant in Their First Interactions: Qualitative Study

Kim¹

2021

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

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Background Smart speaker–based voice assistants promise support for the aging population, with the advantages of hands-free and eyes-free interaction modalities to handle requests. However, little is known about how older adults perceive the benefits of this type of device. Objective This study investigates how older adults experience and respond to a voice assistant when they first interact with it. Because first impressions act as strong predictors of the overall attitude and acceptability of new technologies, it is important to understand the user experiences of first exposure. Methods We conducted semistructured interviews with 18 people 74 years and older who had never used a smart speaker before, investigating the patterns of use, usability issues, and perspectives that older adults have when using a voice assistant for the first time. Results The overall first response to a voice assistant was positive, thanks to the simplicity of a speech-based interaction. In particular, a positive and polite response to complete the interaction with a voice assistant was prevalent, such as expressing gratitude or giving feedback about the quality of answers. Two predominant topics of commands made in the first interaction include asking health care–related questions and streaming music. However, most of the follow-up reactions were unfavorable because of the difficulty in constructing a structured sentence for a command; misperceptions about how a voice assistant operates; and concerns about privacy, security, and financial burdens. Overall, a speech-based interaction was perceived to be beneficial owing to its efficiency and convenience, but no other benefits were perceived. Conclusions On the basis of the findings, we discuss design implications that can positively influence older adults' first experiences with a voice assistant, including helping better understand how a voice assistant works, incorporating mistakes and common interaction patterns into its design, and providing features tailored to the needs of older adults.

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Understanding the Needs and Challenges of Using Conversational Agents for Deaf Older Adults

Cited by 16 publications

References 10 publications

Utilization of Self-Diagnosis Health Chatbots in Real-World Settings: Case Study

Utilization of Self-Diagnosis Health Chatbots in Real-World Settings: Case Study

The Investigation of Adoption of Voice-User Interface (VUI) in Smart Home Systems among Chinese Older Adults

Exploring How Older Adults Use a Smart Speaker–Based Voice Assistant in Their First Interactions: Qualitative Study

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