COMPARATIVE USABILITY EVALUATION

During Accessibility Design course, we started to research on Digital Voice Assistants and how this smart technology was getting adopted with in the senior population. We wanted to explore which devices were easy to set up, use and helpful. Usability comparison of voice interaction technology Amazon Echo/”Alexa” and Google Home, where seniors 85+ are given a task to set daily medication reminders.

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KEY RESEARCH 

Voice Assistants Can Help Older Adults. Kiplinger's Retirement Report
Based on this report, older people are turning to digital voice assistants to make their life easier. It states that the devices such as the Amazon Echo, Google Home and the Apple HomePod are helping them stay connected to friends, family and the community; setting reminders for those who are concerned with forgetfulness and can prolong independence.

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IDEATE 

Medication compliance is often an issue for seniors 85+.

Today there are many smartphone apps that can help in this regard, but many seniors have difficulty with manipulation of smartphone interfaces. In comparison, voice technologies have been proven to work well with this age group.

IDEA: Usability comparison of voice interaction technology Amazon Echo/”Alexa” and Google Home, where seniors 85+ are given a task to set daily medication reminders. 

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USER TESTING

In this post-design usability study, the team will study seniors 85+, as they focusing on a task which asks them to use a medication reminder preinstalled on the Amazon Echo/”Alexa” or the Google Home voice interface device.

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COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS & RESULTS

For the usability study we measured and compared learnability (time/success), ease of use (errors) and efficiency (time) in using medication reminders on the system.

Results were analyzed and lead to recommendations for improved assistive technology on systems to better meet user needs.