Synthetic speech in practice: acceptance and efficiency

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the degree of acceptance of synthetic speech in a practical application and to clarify some of the factors which are important for its acceptance. Synthetic speech was used in two simulated telephone services. The availability of interrrupt facilities, the speaking rate and service type were varied. The performance (success in writing down the requested data) and some subjective reactions were recorded. Performance was worse with synthetic speech in comparison with normal speech. Neither the interrupt facilities nor the speaking rate had any influence on performance. The interrupt facilities were appreciated, although they were hardly used. Having the possibility of interrupting the synthetic speech caused the subjects to judge the system as more flexible and to rate the experienced tempo as slower. The answers on the questions about acceptance suggested a positive effect of the interrupt variable, but this was not significant. Suggestions concerning the use of synthetic speech are given.