Cortana, Ok Google, Siri or the Spike Jonze’s latest movie Her. Human computer interaction with voice control is popular again in these days. Recent improvements on the technology of voice recognition is amazing, even though sometimes you may end up fighting with your phone.
However above all, I have 2 main concerns that designers have to consider while designing applications with voice control.
First thing is the “appearance”, meaning how do you look like while you are using voice control, especially in public. To be honest I still can't get used to seeing people speaking on the phone by using headphones. I have been seeing them since the beginning of the mobile phone age but it still looks a bit weird to me. And this is the case when people are speaking with other people through their phones. I can imagine how weird it would feel when a guy sitting next to me in the subway, speaking with his smartwatch to set an appointment with his wife in a fancy restaurant or sending her a love message.
Speaking about the love message. My second concern is the “Privacy”. People use their smartphone in public areas comfortably even if they are looking at inappropriate content. Because what happens in between the screen of their phones and them, stays in there, secretly. As well as the content they receive, the commands to change that content is a mystery (until we figure out “ finger reading”). Eventually this idea of private content consumption and control gives the freedom of public use of smart gadgets.
These concerns doesn’t mean that, voice control as a super human way of communication can’t make it in the close future. The concerns I have pointed for voice control might disappear in some contexts. You wouldn’t feel crazy if you are talking while taking a shower or in the car while there is a crazy traffic. Well designed voice control interaction would work without any concern in these contexts.
