I Know You’re Listening: Designing Visual Backchannels for Voice User Interfaces

Yoonvin Park, Doha Kim, Hayeon Song

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Nonverbal cues are essential for natural communication, yet voice assistants often lack such features, limiting their effectiveness in social contexts like emotion journaling. This study investigates the impact of different visual backchannel feedback patterns on conversational flow and user perception with an icon-based voice assistant. Using a within-subject design, participants experienced three feedback conditions: regular, synchronized, and randomized. Quantitative results showed that minimal differences in visual patterns significantly influenced user perceptions, with synchronized and randomized feedback generally outperforming regular feedback. Qualitative findings emphasized individual differences, highlighting the need for customizable feedback to address diverse user needs. This study contributes to the design of inclusive, user-centered voice assistant interfaces for social applications.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationIUI 2025 - Companion Proceedings of the 2025 International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
Pages56-59
Number of pages4
ISBN (Electronic)9798400714092
DOIs
StatePublished - 24 Mar 2025
Event30th International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces Companion, IUI 2025 - Cagliari, Italy
Duration: 24 Mar 202527 Mar 2025

Publication series

NameInternational Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces, Proceedings IUI

Conference

Conference30th International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces Companion, IUI 2025
Country/TerritoryItaly
CityCagliari
Period24/03/2527/03/25

Keywords

  • backchannel feedback
  • conversational agent
  • nonverbal cues
  • voice user interface

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