AI SPEAKER
KIDS EDITION
VUI | AI Speaker | Kids Service & Contents
Many parents buy AI speakers for their children. However, it has many difficulties for kids to actually use AI speaker for themselves. This project proposes AI speaker kids edition, the VUI Design for children. AI speaker kids edition provides the solution of eye-level conversation and various joyful interactions in VUI for children to play and communicate with.
Members
Cagli Torun - Yeonhui Ji
Seonga Lee - Jeonghwan Kim
Sohyung Kim - Gyeongwon Yoon
PROCESS
To design better UX for AI speakers, we’ve done all the way from setting up design direction to formulating ideas and making scenarios.
Research
UX CONCEPT
Investigate AI speaker trends
General user experience
Set direction from insights
Desk Research
Competitive Analysis
Observation
Affinity Diagram
Definition
Researching the target user Survey and interview
Detail Desk Research
Target Group Research
Problem Defining
Solution
Ideas to solve problems
Build user scenario Validate the scenario
Delivery
Design mobile UI app Produce concept video
App UI Design
Scenario Video
Supportive Document
Idea Brainstorming
User Scenario Design
Wizard of Oz
RESEARCH
Through the research, we found that it is an inconvenience to use an AI speaker for children even though they are important users.
Parents buy AI speaker for their children
Children's
songs
%25
Latest
songs
%8
Pop
%6.9
Classic
%6.4
According to Genie music, a Korean music streaming service, the most popular genre heard through AI speakers is children's music.
Kids have trouble using AI speakers by themselves
Research has been made for children that is between the age of 2 to 5 years. Four kinds of voice assistants have been commanded by these children but, AI often did not understand the sentences because of the children's inaccurate pronunciations.
Kids don’t know the correct way to use the AI speaker. Normally, to order the AI speaker, we should wait 2~3 seconds after calling their name. However, kids usually do the mistake of not waiting for any delays and even forgetting to say the proposed name. So they need to get helped from their parents while using it.
Kids need interactive communication
Conversation with AI is usually in a one-directional order. Children who use the AI a lot, get used to speaking in a commanding manner. This fact might affect communication skills with others.
According to news reports, three out of four mothers who have young kids, let them use smartphones and watch Youtube. One-way communication such as watching videos causes imbalances in children’s brain development.
UX CONCEPT
We tried to make a friendly AI speaker for children, which enables easier usage and joyful interaction.
Key Features
4 main features of AI speaker kids edition were designed and tailored to kid’s behavioral characteristics.
Calling Name
More natural conversation
by omitting calling name
Conversation Starter
AI starts the conversation
when parents activate the
kids mode in the app
Asking Yes/No Questions
Improved sentence recognition
by asking yes/no question
Non-Verbal Interaction
More enjoyable experience
through various sound inputs
Friendly AI Speaker
For Children
New Kids
Contents
Easy
Conversation
KIDS MODE
Turn on / off the kids mode through voice command or button in the mobile app
Kids mode starts with a friendly greeting from the speaker. Since kids don’t need to call a name during kids mode, it is possible to have a natural conversation.
AI leading the conversation by asking questions
Kids don’t order but communicate with the AI speakers by answering questions from it. Yes/No questions from AI speaker make it possible to recognize keywords such as 'yes', 'no', 'like', 'dislike'.
Example
Yes! I had pizza today!
That sounds great! I will try it next time!
Hey! Did you enjoy the meal?
Scenario
Key Feature
Start Conversation
Ask Yes/No Question
Mechanism
Active
In App
“Turn kids mode
on, please”
“Hi! Did you enjoy your meal?”
Omit Calling Name
Keyword in the Answer
No
Yes
“Sorry to hear
that. But…”
“Good to hear
that. I also…”
Ask Yes/No Question
“By the way, how was…?”
INTERACTIVE KIDS CONTENTS
New story contents allow kids to be a hero
Children can be a hero in the story content and contribute to it by making a choice. They can experience lots of different endings.
Various non-verbal interactions to stir up
children’s imagination
New types of sound interactions and situations, such as blowing wind, being quiet, can enrich the story.
Example
Be quiet until the monster passing by!
... AH-CHOO!!
He got us!! Run away!!
Scenario
Key Feature
Mechanism
“My friend brown had taken by
the monster! Please help me.”
Non-Verbal
Interaction
“We should be quiet for a while!”
Was there
sounds over
25dB
No
Yes
“He passed by!”
Different Storyline
“Let’s look for
brown!”
“Oh! He got us!”
“Let’s beat the
monster!”
APPENDIX
Video
Idea verification through Wizard of Oz methodology
A 5-year-old girl conducts experiments for derived solutions and scenario verification
Document
Research Panel
Research arrangement, FAQ, source
