"At the next roundabout, take the third exit," a female voice tells us on our car's GPS. We are increasingly used to interacting with machines and answering machines and, although we do not realize it, aspects such as the type of voice we hear, or whether it is male or female, unconsciously influence our perception of these technologies, according to a study. presented at the 56th Annual Meeting of the Society for Human Factors and Ergonomics.
Participants in the study interacted with an interactive voice system that gave them information about their health. The voices could be male or female and spoke in different tones: upbeat, professional, and friendly. The researchers found that, while the information provided by male voices was perceived as more useful, users relied more on the data provided by female voices . Scientists believe that these types of perceptions should be taken into account when developing future interactive voice systems. "Anyone who has ever interacted with a machine knows how frustrating it can be," explains Philip Kortum, one of the authors, from Rice University (USA). "Much of this frustration can come from the voice being heard, not from the system itself. This research shows that small modifications in the design of these systems can have a great impact on their usability.
