This book is a comprehensive and authoritative guide to voice user interface (VUI) design. The VUI is perhaps the most critical factor in the success of any automated speech recognition (ASR) system, determining whether the user experience will be satisfying or frustrating, or even whether the customer will remain one. This book describes a practical methodology for creating an effective VUI design. The methodology is scientifically based on principles in linguistics, psychology, and language technology, and is illustrated here by examples drawn from the authors' work at Nuance Communications, the market leader in ASR development and deployment.

The book begins with an overview of VUI design issues and a description of the technology. The authors then introduce the major phases of their methodology. They first show how to specify requirements and make high-level design decisions during the definition phase. They next cover, in great detail, the design phase, with clear explanations and demonstrations of each design principle and its real-world applications. Finally, they examine problems unique to VUI design in system development, testing, and tuning. Key principles are illustrated with a running sample application.

The cover photograph depicts the first ASR system, Radio Rex: a toy dog who sits in his house until the sound of his name calls him out. Produced in 1911, Rex was among the few commercial successes in earlier days of speech recognition. Voice User Interface Design reveals the design principles and practices that produce commercial success in an era when effective ASRs are not toys but competitive necessities.

• I Introduction
  • Introduction to Voice User Interfaces
  • Overview of Spoken Language Technology
  • Overview of the Methodology
• II Definition phase: requirements gathering and high-level design
  • Requirements and High-Level Design Methodology
  • High-Level Design Elements
  • Creating Persona, by Design
  • Sample Application: Requirements and High-Level Design
• III Design phase: detailed design
  • Detailed Design Methodology
  • Minimizing Cognitive Load
  • Designing Prompts
  • Planning Prosody
  • Maximizing Efficiency and Clarity
  • Optimizing Accuracy and Recovering from Errors
  • Sample Application: Detailed Design
• IV Realization phase: development, testing, and tuning
  • Development, Testing, and Tuning Methodology
  • Creating Grammars
  • Working with Voice Actors
  • Sample Application: Development, Testing, and Tuning
  • Conclusion
  • Appendixes