TY - GEN
T1 - Can Alexa be your Therapist? How back-channeling transforms smart-speakers to be active listeners
AU - Motalebi, Nasim
AU - Cho, Eugene
AU - Shyam Sundar, S.
AU - Abdulllah, Saeed
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Copyright held by the owner/author(s).
PY - 2019/11/9
Y1 - 2019/11/9
N2 - Smart-speakers such as Amazon Alexa are becoming increasingly popular among the general population. These devices support a wide range of user-initiated tasks. However, their current interaction capabilities are limited to quick turn-takings and short dialogues, which leads to limited user engagement. In this project, we aim to enhance the user engagement and interaction abilities of a smart-speaker by transforming it into an active listener. Specifically, we explored how providing random back-channelling (i.e., verbal continuers including "hm", "uhum", "aha", "yeah") can result in longer interactions and more sustained user engagement. The findings of the study have implications for usability and future design of smart-speakers. We also explored how the enhanced interactions in smart-speakers through back-channeling can be used for self-centered therapy leading to beter emotional and social support.
AB - Smart-speakers such as Amazon Alexa are becoming increasingly popular among the general population. These devices support a wide range of user-initiated tasks. However, their current interaction capabilities are limited to quick turn-takings and short dialogues, which leads to limited user engagement. In this project, we aim to enhance the user engagement and interaction abilities of a smart-speaker by transforming it into an active listener. Specifically, we explored how providing random back-channelling (i.e., verbal continuers including "hm", "uhum", "aha", "yeah") can result in longer interactions and more sustained user engagement. The findings of the study have implications for usability and future design of smart-speakers. We also explored how the enhanced interactions in smart-speakers through back-channeling can be used for self-centered therapy leading to beter emotional and social support.
KW - Active listening
KW - Back-channeling
KW - Conversational agents
KW - Smart-speakers
KW - Wellbeing
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85076107976&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85076107976&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1145/3311957.3359502
DO - 10.1145/3311957.3359502
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85076107976
T3 - Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, CSCW
SP - 309
EP - 313
BT - CSCW 2019 Companion - Conference Companion Publication of the 2019 Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing
PB - Association for Computing Machinery
T2 - 22nd ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing, CSCW 2019
Y2 - 9 November 2019 through 13 November 2019
ER -