Accessibility and acceptability of voice assistants for people with acquired brain injury

Abstract

Acquired Brain Injury can cause cognitive impairments, such as problems with memory and scheduling, and executive dysfunction. Assistive Technologies (AT), usually in the form of prompting and reminding systems, can improve remembering and task completion in people with ABI. Studies, however, show that the use of AT in this context is rather low, and that there are several factors that impact their uptake and effectiveness, indicating there is room for better design. Voice Assistants (VA), i.e. smart speakers with integrated virtual assistants, offer a versatile set of tools to provide support to cognitively impaired users, through a more accessible and pervasive interaction. Research however shows that there are several obstacles that can prevent the uptake and effective use of VAs by people with ABI. This research aims to explore how the conversational interfaces of VAs can be designed to become more accessible and acceptable by people with ABI. An online survey (n=114) and several focus groups (n=29) were conducted to gather requirements for the design of such a system in a user-centred way. Additionally, the key design considerations of a conversational UI for calendar management were investigated in a user study with students (n=16). This paper outlines the background and motivation behind the research, gives a brief overview of the planned course of action, and presents the results up to this point. The envisioned contributions of this research to the field of HCI are also addressed.