What is logical, and from which perspective should you look at this? And also: in which direction do you want to guide the user? “If you ask a question too broadly, there is a good chance that the user will get stuck.” It is important here that you do not rely on assumptions, but that you test extensively.
Testing: Keep it small
“We started testing very casually. Someone was cooking, and someone else behind the cook was reciting the steps. It was only at a later stage that we started testing with recorded audio fragments. It was wise to start so small, because we already got a lot of information from that. For example, we discovered that too much small talk disrupted the process. We thought that this would create personality, but it turned out that we had to keep it very straightforward. It is precisely the tone of voice and Sharon's real voice that create that personality.”
You can choose to enter the texts into the Google system and have them spoken by the Google voice. This is still clearly a non-natural voice, without intonation. “The Google voice is cheaper. But we have chosen to record it with our chef Sharon, to personalize it more. This way we create trust and the expert from TV comes even closer.” Important to keep in mind when you are faced with this choice: people treat their voice assistant or voice device as a human being or even as a good friend .
Also read: Google Assistant: speak Dutch to me
You think less about yourself
Another important lesson from the tests and research: people rely heavily on the service's instructions. But at the same time, they don't remember everything that is said. Of course, you can also italy telegram data think of yourself that unwhipped cream needs to be whipped. But it turned out that testers sometimes forgot this step, after which the recipe went wrong. Because you hand over control (in this case in the kitchen) to the action, you think less yourself. "That means that you have to think very carefully about the structure and formulation of instructions during development. We have now structured it as follows: first you hear context, then the things you need, and then you only hear one action per step."
Plan for the refrigerator
Phase three: developing and technically building the service. The prototype was a success in terms of content, but technically it was not yet completely in order. Because it was a browser service, there were too many restrictions for smartphones. For example, with the microphone that could sometimes be used and sometimes not – of course an essential part of the service. As a result, it would only be available on a limited number of phones, which went against the objective of reaching a broader target group.
At this point, the plan went into the fridge. “We had a good plan in place for when the technical possibilities for voice would become greater.” Just a few weeks later, the news came that the Google Assistant would be available in Dutch. And then one and one became two.