Designing Voice User Interfaces: Principles of Conversational Experiences

Voice user interfaces (VUIs) are becoming all the rage today. But how do you build one that people can actually converse with? Whether you’re designing a mobile app, a toy, or a device such as a home assistant, this practical book guides you through basic VUI design principles, helps you choose the right speech recognition engine, and shows you how to measure your VUI’s performance and improve upon it.

Author Cathy Pearl also takes product managers, UX designers, and VUI designers into advanced design topics that will help make your VUI not just functional, but great.

• Understand key VUI design concepts, including command-and-control and conversational systems
• Decide if you should use an avatar or other visual representation with your VUI
• Explore speech recognition technology and its impact on your design
• Take your VUI above and beyond the basic exchange of information
• Learn practical ways to test your VUI application with users
• Monitor your app and learn how to quickly improve performance
• Get real-world examples of VUIs for home assistants, smartwatches, and car systems

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. Basic Voice User Interface Design Principles
Chapter 3. Personas, Avatars, Actors, and Video Games
Chapter 4. Speech Recognition Technology
Chapter 5. Advanced Voice User Interface Design
Chapter 6. User Testing for Voice User Interfaces
Chapter 7. Your Voice User Interface Is Finished! Now What?
Chapter 8. Voice-Enabled Devices and Cars