E5: Voice Interaction Prototype
In this week’s prototype, I created five-voice interaction tasks for users who have pets and plants. Each question that was asked to VUI has all been questions/needs that I personally had as a plant and pet owner.
My VUI interactions all focused on confirming what the user said immediately after and allow users to accomplish their tasks or get their questions answered in the least amount of VUI interaction as possible for efficiency.
Prototype
Finding a Pet Store
It is common for owners to find that they are running low on pet food and supplies and using the VUI to find a pet shop saves the owner time on their phone while their hands could be dirty from handling their pet. In personal experiences, I discover I am low on pet food or supplies when my hands are full with my pet so utilizing the VUI for this task would be convenient. Instead of having my VUI read out the address, I had my VUI suggest texting the user because addresses are long and it wouldn’t be realistic to assume the user memorized what the VUI would say.
User: Hey Google, where are some pet stores nearby with bird supplies?
VUI: I found a few pet stores with bird supplies near you, would you like to know the
store with the highest customer review or the store closest to you?
User: The first option
VUI: Okay, the store with the highest customer review is Pet Central and it is 15 minutes away. Would you like me to text you the address?
User: Yes
VUI: Okay, to confirm, is your phone number ( ____ ) — _____ — _____ ?
User: No, it is (123) — 456–7890
VUI: I will text you the address of the pet store to (123) — 456–7890. Is this correct?
User: Yes
VUI: Sounds good, I’ve sent it. Is there anything else I can help you with?
User: Yes, where can I buy a parakeet nearby?
VUI: There is not a store near you within a 10-mile radius, would you like me to expand the radius?
User: Yes
VUI: Okay, there is one store within a 10-mile radius called PetSmart that is selling parakeets.
Diagnosis of a Sick Bird
At times, owners do not know what to search up if they notice their bird acting “off” and they have their hands full while caring for their assumingly sick bird. I wanted the VUI to start by answering this question with the most common symptoms of a sick bird because a bird that is sick usually exhibit at least 1–3 symptoms because each sickness usually has the same common symptoms which a bird will show when they are uncomfortable. Birds also require immediate care because of how small they are and when they get sick, the survival of the bird can be determined by how fast they receive professional care. This is why it is important for the VUI to recommend and transition into asking the user if they would like to find the nearest avian vet care.
User: Hey Google, is my parakeet sick?
VUI: Some common symptoms of a sick parakeet are runny feces, lethargy, fluffed up feathers, bobbing of the tail, and change in personality according to Dr. Smith’s Avian Care’s website. Does your bird have any of these symptoms?
User: Yes and he is not eating
VUI: Your parakeet may be sick according to Dr. Smith’s Avian Care’s website. Please list all of your parakeet’s symptoms that you know of?
User: He doesn’t look right?
VUI: I’m sorry. I’m not sure what that means about the parakeet. Does he look fluffed up and tired?
User: Yes, is my parakeet sick?
VUI: I am not able to diagnose your parakeet but would you like me to find the nearest avian vet clinic?
User: Yes, can you find me one with the highest review?
VUI: Okay, Des Moines Veterinary Hospital has doctors specializing in Avian care and has the highest review on Google. Their number is ( __ ) -__ -___.
User: What’s their number again?
VUI: The number to Des Moines Veterinary Hospital is ( __ ) -___ -____
Diagnosis of a Sick Plant
Sicks plants can have more straight forward answers that are correlated with their symptoms. Once the issue is diagnosed, the user can determine whether they continue diagnosing their plant or stop interacting with the VUI to care for the plant.
User: Hey Google, my plant has spots on the leaves. What does this mean?
VUI: What is the name of your plant that has spots on its leaves?
User: Peace Lily?
VUI: Spots on the leaves of a Peace Lily means that your plant is getting too much sunlight and there is a list of diagnoses on plant wiki. Would you like me to list more?
User: No.
How to Re- pot a Plant & Setting a Timer
Repotting a plant takes multiple steps that require pre-steps before the actual instructions, instead of writing out all of the steps that the VUI would read, I changed my ending to setting a timer for the user to remind them to re-pot their plant after 2 hours since the last watering of the plant.
User: Hey Google, how do I repot my plant?
VUI: What plant are you re-potting?
User: Peace Lily
VUI: Okay, I found instructions on how to re-pot a peace lily on plant wiki. You will need soil, a pot, and an optional hand shovel. Would you like to use these instructions or another option?
User: Use those instructions
VUI: Okay, step one of repotting your peace lily is to ensure your peace lily has been watered 2–4 hours before re-potting. Would you like to continue?
User: Oh no! I have not watered my plant yet.
VUI: I’m sorry, would you like to continue to step 2?
User: No, can you remind me in 2 hours to continue?
VUI: Okay, I am setting a timer for 2 hours, I will remind you at 2:35PM.
How Much to Water a Plant and Setting a Reminder to Water Plants
Every plant is different and has a specific set of needs. This can be overwhelming to keep up especially if you turn your apartment into a jungle full of different plants from every nursery you’ve visited. It is important to adapt your plant care accordingly. Plants also speak to the owner through its leaves so I wanted my VUI to describe a dehydrated plant in case a plant needs a little more water than the recommended amount.
User: Hey Google, how much do I water a peace lily?
VUI: A peace lily requires watering once a week until all of the soil is wet. Water until the water is dripping out of the bottom. You should also spritz the leaves and soil daily to keep the plant hydrated.
User: Hey Google, how do I know when my plant needs more water?
VUI: For peace lilies, the leaves will start to droop when they are telling you that they’re thirsty. If you pay attention to when it usually starts to sag, you can plan to water one day before it generally happens.
User: Hm, I think I’m going to forget. Hey Google, can you set a reminder for me for every Monday at 1 PM to water my peace lily?
Google: Okay, I am setting a weekly reminder for you starting on Monday, November 16th at 1 PM to water your peace lily.
Analysis
During my testing with my roommate and another testing with my assigned colleague, I found that saying the address and even a phone number to a user can be too much information for them to handle. This is the reason why I decided to have the VUI offer to text the user the address instead because stating the address during the interaction only left the user with searching up the store/vet’s name for the location. It was difficult to understand the size of a user’s plant which can determine how much water the plant needs and the size of the pot to re-pot. With more time, I would spend more time creating a longer dialogue that would be similar to onboarding questions before the instructions that the VUI would give so the instructions would be customized to the plant. Overall, the script made sense to the user and the error messages were also useful. If there was another iteration, I would try to shorten up the dialogue more because it is a lot of effort to talk to a VUI under the stress of a sick pet or plant.