Smart Speech Systems: A Focus Group Study on Older Adult User and Non-User Perceptions of Speech Interfaces

Abstract

Smart speech systems are becoming increasingly pervasive in society. At the same time, the number of older adults is rapidly growing. These simultaneous trends make it likely for older individuals to encounter and, in some cases, benefit from speech systems throughout later stages of life. To date, most research studies have examined older adult non-users’ opinions of speech systems, but not the sentiments of older users. To address this research gap, four focus groups were conducted to compare the perceptions and attitudes of seniors who voluntarily use and do not use speech systems across various devices. Findings suggest that older users and non-users are similar in their perception of the advantages provided this technology, factors that (could) motivate their use, common challenges faced while using these systems, and barriers to using particular features or speech systems altogether. The two groups differed in their preferences for learning how to use these systems, perception of system cost, and global perception of technology. In addition, older adult users exclusively believed speech systems to be easy to use, but also expressed concerns about information transparency and privacy. Older non-users explained that the absence of age-related declines was a barrier to use. These results may guide designers and researchers in developing, evaluating, and refining smart technologies to be used by various senior populations.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Tippecanoe Senior Center and the Friendship House Community in Lafayette/West Lafayette, IN for assisting with participant recruitment and hosting the focus group sessions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported, in part, by the Arvin Calspan Fellowship (recipient: Lauren Werner).

Notes on contributors

Lauren Werner

Lauren Werner is a master’s thesis candidate in the School of Industrial Engineering at Purdue University specializing in Human Factors. She received a Bachelor of Science in Brain and Behavioral Science/ Psychology from Purdue University in 2019.

Gaojian Huang

Gaojian Huang is an assistant professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at San Jose State University. He earned an M.S. in Cognitive Psychology and a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

Brandon J. Pitts

Brandon J. Pitts is an assistant professor in the School of Industrial Engineering and a faculty associate with the Center on Aging and the Life Course (CALC) at Purdue University. He earned a Ph.D. in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan in 2016.