Voice assistants embodied in smart speakers (e.g., Amazon Echo, Google Home) enable voice-based interaction that does not necessarily rely on expertise with mobile or desktop computing. Hence, these voice assistants offer new opportunities to different populations, including individuals who are not interested or able to use traditional computing devices such as computers and smartphones. To understand how older adults who use technology infrequently perceive and use these voice assistants, we conducted a 3-week field deployment of the Amazon Echo Dot in the homes of seven older adults. While some types of usage dropped over the 3-week period (e.g., playing music), we observed consistent usage for finding online information. Given that much of this information was health-related, this finding emphasizes the need to revisit concerns about credibility of information with this new interaction medium. Although features to support memory (e.g., setting timers, reminders) were initially perceived as useful, the actual usage was unexpectedly low due to reliability concerns. We discuss how these findings apply to other user groups along with design implications and recommendations for future work on voice-user interfaces.

中文翻译：

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技术使用率低的老年人使用智能语音助手

包含在智能扬声器（例如，Amazon Echo、Google Home）中的语音助手支持基于语音的交互，而这不一定依赖于移动或桌面计算方面的专业知识。因此，这些语音助手为不同人群提供了新的机会，包括不感兴趣或无法使用传统计算设备（如计算机和智能手机）的个人。为了了解不经常使用技术的老年人如何感知和使用这些语音助手，我们在七名老年人的家中进行了为期 3 周的 Amazon Echo Dot 现场部署。虽然某些类型的使用在 3 周内下降（例如，播放音乐），但我们观察到在查找在线信息方面的一致使用。鉴于这些信息大部分与健康有关，这一发现强调了重新审视对这种新交互媒介信息可信度的担忧的必要性。尽管支持记忆的功能（例如，设置计时器、提醒）最初被认为是有用的，但由于可靠性问题，实际使用率出乎意料地低。我们讨论了这些发现如何应用于其他用户组，以及设计含义和对未来语音用户界面工作的建议。