Voice to Reach New Levels as an Interface, Strategy Analytics Concludes
Voice and gesture interfaces will help to support more contextually aware artificial intelligence (AI) as this technology continues to evolve, providing opportunities for hardware and software differentiation as well as improvements in overall user experiences, a recent report from the User Experience Strategies (UXS) service at Strategy Analytics concluded.
The report also found that natural language voice control is the interface that offers most potential for competitive advantage. With continued advances in AI coupled with the Internet of Things (IoT), natural voice is the most human-like way to interact with machines and allows for hands free accessibility, it said.
Gestures, the firm concluded, will also support voice control, making smart devices even smarter by knowing what a user is pointing to or referencing when using voice.
"Improvements in natural language processing will bring voice as an HMI to new levels. Advanced voice will also be supported by camera-based gesture control, which will allow the user to be even more hands-free and speak more naturally. Being able to reference inanimate objects by look or gesture for example, will simplify and excel the voice experience," Chris Schreiner, director of syndicated research, said in a statement.
At the same time, though, Strategy Analytics cautioned that there is no one ideal interface across all devices and platforms. The focus needs to be on specific use cases and context rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, it said.
"As new devices and capabilities emerge, so do new HMI technologies, such as thought control, emotion control, wearable bio control, and eye tracking," said Christopher Dodge, associate director at Strategy Analytics and report author, in the report. "These are in addition to more well-known technologies, such as touchscreens, voice, and gesture control. However, new HMIs must be useful, usable, and compelling, with limited barriers to implementation. Training and data privacy are still at the forefront of consumer's minds, and so complete transparency is required to remedy user concerns."