CS474: Human Computer Interaction - Modalities - Voice Prompts

Activity Goals

The goals of this activity are:
  1. To identify alternative modalities for human-computer interaction
  2. To write a program that uses voice prompts for engagement
  3. To identify signifiers and affordances for a given application and modality

The Activity

Directions

Consider the activity models and answer the questions provided. First reflect on these questions on your own briefly, before discussing and comparing your thoughts with your group. Appoint one member of your group to discuss your findings with the class, and the rest of the group should help that member prepare their response. Answer each question individually from the activity, and compare with your group to prepare for our whole-class discussion. After class, think about the questions in the reflective prompt and respond to those individually in your notebook. Report out on areas of disagreement or items for which you and your group identified alternative approaches. Write down and report out questions you encountered along the way for group discussion.

Model 1: Voice Prompts

Questions

  1. How might you adapt this code for use in a text-based program you've written in the past?
  2. What challenges might you anticipate when using a voice approach, particularly with respect to accessibility, and how might you address them?
  3. What other modalities can you think of?
  4. How might you indicate to a user that it is time to input a certain value, and indicate what kinds of values are permissible?
  5. How do you enable the user to to provide input and to understand output at the right time?

Adapted from Dr. Alvin Grissom’s 2020 HCI course

Submission

I encourage you to submit your answers to the questions (and ask your own questions!) using the Class Activity Questions discussion board. You may also respond to questions or comments made by others, or ask follow-up questions there. Answer any reflective prompt questions in the Reflective Journal section of your OneNote Classroom personal section. You can find the link to the class notebook on the syllabus.