Even though experts such as Karen Kaushansky have been designing human-computer conversations for over 20 years, it cannot yet be said that Voice has been fully accepted by Swiss customers. Research and development is still in its infancy and there are only a handful of experts in Switzerland who really know about the subject. The Lucerne University of Applied Sciences is doing pioneering work in this area with the first course in Switzerland on the subject of Voice User Interfaces. The Titanium Research Department was present both on the faculty and the student side. This article concludes the four-part Voice User Interface series and presents the main findings and places them in the context of the Swiss voice landscape.

The Voice First Barometer Switzerland is a representative survey conducted with over 1000 participants in Switzerland. It provides good insights into the Swiss voice landscape: How widespread is voice control and how much do the Swiss population like to speak with a device? Some insights from the survey:

• The greatest increase in the use of voice functions (most of all on smartphones) has taken place in the last three years
• Voice user interfaces are used most in Ticino, Solothurn and Aargau, least in Geneva and Neuenburg
• The division by dialect is different: There the Graubündner and Lucerne dialect is on top, while people with Thurgauer dialect use language functions least
• Voice users are best described as younger, more technology-oriented, more innovative and “perceive speech-based interfaces as more useful” (Voice First Barometer Switzerland, 2019, p. 4)
• What Voice users want: Know what the weather or traffic will be like, or call someone without typing their name. More and more would also like to shop via speech, e.g. smart speakers

The Voice First Barometer Switzerland is a good starting point for an intensive study of the characteristics of the Swiss voice user. Another important point is to understand what the current market looks like: Who is experimenting with voice? Who is researching the topic? Who is already offering solutions to their customers? Who builds voice user interfaces and which platforms are already available? These and other questions are answered by the Voice Map Switzerland. A must for anyone who wants to get to grips with the topic.

One of the companies shown on the graphic is recapp. This company has taken up a very special challenge, namely to teach the Computers Walliserdeutsch (special Swiss dialect). The Swiss dialect, and to what extent this is decisive for the use of voice, still offers endless material for discussion. Perhaps the first good solutions will come sooner and/or differently than expected. What is certain, however, is that there will be a lot of movement on the Swiss market in the coming years. The world will not change fundamentally, but every entrepreneur must be aware that voice is a new touchpoint that needs to be integrated into the customer journey creatively, alongside the Internet and such.

Key-Learnings of the Course Voice User Interface Strategy

The continuing education course of the Lucerne Universities of Applied Sciences Voice User Interface Strategy, is the first course in Switzerland to deal with the topic in this intensity. It was important to bring international speakers aboard: From Google, who have been working on conversational design for 25 years, to Voice Architects from Germany, who in contrast to Switzerland, for example, already work very intensively with Alexa Skills. These are the key learnings from the pioneering course, in which the Research Department was involved both in teaching and as a participant:

• Testing & Experimenting: Now is the best time to deal with the topic without pressure. It is also possible to experiment with Voice without large investments and to deal with both strategic issues and questions of implementation.
• Customer Journey: Voice offers a new point of contact with customers. It’s worthwhile to dig this out of your dusty marketing folder and update the description of the Customer Journey or perhaps to rethink everything again. How do the customers get to the company? Where can real added value be generated through voice?
• Data & Structures: Dealing with it now does not mean that you can offer a perfect voice user interface tomorrow. Dealing with it now means understanding internal data and structures and adapting them where necessary so that the company is ready when in a few years’ time Voice will be indispensable.
• Simple & Good: In the course of studies, it became clear time and again how complex a voice user interface and all that goes with it is. So the motto developed very quickly to start with something that is simple and can be implemented well.
• Networks & Professionals: Only a few people know about this topic and just because someone works in the IT department, he can’t program a VUI. Moreover, the technological development in this area is very fast, it is very difficult to keep up to date. A constant exchange with experts at home and on an international level is crucial for success.

Useful References to Deepen your Knowledge

If you want to stay up to date with Voice, the following references are recommended:

Learning & Informing:

• Voicefirst
• Advanced Training Course Voice User Interface Strategy
• Voice Meetup Switzerland
• Voice First Barometer Switzerland
• Voice Map Switzerland
• Marketing News

International & Conferences:

• All About Voice
• Voice Global
• Voicebot AI

People to follow:

• Markus Maurer (Switzerland)
• David Imseng (Switzerland)
• Laura Dreessen (international)
• Tim Kahle (international)
• Karen Kaushansky (international)
• Brett Kinsella (international)
• Cathy Pearl (international)

Conclusion

Speaking instead of typing will be normal for many in a few years, although speaking and typing may be the more appropriate expression. Anyone who is now working on the subject of voice, setting the course, joining forces with others, is doing pioneering work. You must be aware of that. This means that the return on investment will certainly be a long time coming, projects will be launched and may get lost again in the archive. But pioneering work is never sunk costs, even if it is a (calculable) investment. The learning effects are available on different levels: Be it the understanding of one’s own data structures, to understand the needs of customers better, new or even at all. If you experiment with voice, you learn the opportunities and limits of a technology not only from books or from conferences, but by getting your hands dirty and developing a voice experience. For us as a research department, it is clear that we deal with these topics and experiment with them, develop Alexa skills and Google Actions to understand them and be ready for what is coming to us and our customers.

Notes on the Voice User Interface Strategy series

We thank the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences for the pleasant cooperation and for the opportunity to be part of the pioneer class of the advanced training course Voice User Interface Strategy. This article is the conclusion of the series on the topic of Voice User Interfaces, which highlights various topics in four parts:

• Part 1: Strategien
• Part 2: Design
• Part 3: Prototyping
• Part 4: Insights

These were written in the course of the continuing education course Voice User Interface Strategy of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Contents reflect the opinion of the author.

About the Author

Marisa Tschopp (Dr. rer. nat., University of Tübingen) is actively engaged in research on Artificial Intelligence from a human perspective, focusing on psychological and ethical aspects. She has shared her expertise on TEDx stages, among others, and represents Switzerland on gender issues within the Women in AI Initiative. (ORCID 0000-0001-5221-5327)

Links

• https://ikm-hslu.ch/ikm-blog/2020/08/17/voice-user-interfaces-10-dinge-die-man-wissen-darf/
• https://recapp.ch/
• https://voicebot.ai/author/bret/
• https://voicefirst.ch/
• https://voicemeetup.ch/newsvoicemapswitzerlandv01
• https://voicemeetup.ch/voicemeetupswitzerland
• https://www.allaboutvoice.io/
• https://www.handelszeitung.ch/podcasts/upbeat/recapp-dieser-mann-lehrt-computern-walliserdeutsch
• https://www.hslu.ch/de-ch/wirtschaft/weiterbildung/weiterbildungskurse/ikm/voice-user-interface-strategy/?sourceurl=/voice
• https://www.linkedin.co/karenkaushansky/
• https://www.unilu.ch/news/voice-barometer-studie-2019-erschienen-5129/
• https://www.voicesummit.ai/global