Human technology relationships

Virtual home assistants/smart speakers: Google Home and Alexa

The increase of virtual home assistant has risen greatly over the last few years. Consumers have been slowly integrating these devices into daily life. Some specific examples include smart speakers like Amazon Echo, Google Home, and the Apple HomePo. Virtual assistants are devices which perform actions based on your questions and commands. These assistants generally have multiple voice options and allow for optimization and control over things like lighting, heating, energy consumption, electronic devices and security features. According to Sterling, 2020 “Smart speaker sales reached 147 million units globally in 2019, reflecting 70% growth over 2018”. 

The impact these have on life has been overly positive. Being able to talk to this device to find out information fast, set reminders for important events and control electricity in the home has been very beneficial for users. The smart speaker in the home could be considered an example of human-centred design or emotionally connected design. A survey conducted with more than 1600 user discovered that “41% of voice assistant owners say that using the device makes it feel like they are talking to a friend, or at least another person.” It was noted that many users would use words like thank you and please when using these devices.

Originally voice assistant started through smartphones. Siri by Apple became the first digital virtual assistant to be standard on a smartphone when the iPhone 4s came out on October 4, 2011. It was discovered that “despite being accessible everywhere, three out of every four consumers (74%) are using their mobile voice assistants at home. The majority of focus group participants were quick to say that they prefer privacy when speaking to their voice assistant and that using it in public “just looks weird.” (PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2018). 

Thanks to advancements in machine learning, there are many benefits of voice assistants. For instance, in the business sector, a voice assistant is used to cut down the time and solve problems efficiently. So, if you are running a business, it is essential to incorporate voice assistant programs.