UX Design Essentials: Voice activation features + recordings

Few people are blessed with an outstanding recording voice. Consider the voice of classically trained stage and film actor James Earl Jones as Darth Vader, or the voice of the dynamic mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli, or the ever-amazing Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, known professionally known as the Weeknd. Every time we hear their voices, we immediately know who they are and are drawn to them.

What about our own physical voice?

Although we easily converse on the phone, debate, or even sing, we rarely think about how we can engage our physical voice to enrich our life. Do we have confidence in our own voice? Have we experienced it?

Do we know how to apply our voice in a digital eco-environment and have it serve us back?

These are important questions we cannot ignore. We are, by default, not taught much how to use our voice outside our personal domain. Talking, singing, conversing, humming, making noises — these are functions considered to be private.

A sound wave of my voice saying “hi”. The file itself is represented in edit mode on my mobile.

Voice device features remain hidden in plain sight

Nonetheless, within the digital ecosystem, voice options are also no longer the domains of only the professionally trained. Our voice is ours to use, ours to depend on and engage with. But we need to know how.

At the touch of a button

Voice engagement is easy, it comes with a touch of a small button. Look for the microphone icon within your apps. Explore them!

The microphone feature on a chat window.

Research in a group of 31 adult mobile users and their use of voice features reveals intriguing patterns and trends

A random survey of 31 mobile phone users* in the greater New York metropolitan area revealed that, overall, 78% of all mobile owners use at least one voice feature on their phone.

However, 22% of the study participants reported that they never use or have used any of the readily available voice features.

Of the 78% of phone users who use at least one voice feature, it quickly manifests that users, on average, engage with only one or two of the multitude of available voice features. As they feel comfortable with a particular feature, for example, the speakerphone setting, their voice engagements tend to become repetitive.

Once set in their comfort zone, users don’t easily switch up their voice habits or explore new features.

Number values in percentage for each voice feature used by the aggregate study group of 31 participants. Voice memo was used by most users, at 38% overall. Only 3% of all users used a microphone function to record someone else’s voice. 22% of all mobile phone users have never used any of the voice features.

A delightful findings reveals that 7% of the participants use a voice feature to record their own singing voice or instrumental music.

The voice adventurers

The foreign-language learners

3 of the 31 mobile phone owners, or 10%, advanced to excellent use of live language translation apps through the active use of the microphone to either engage in a foreign-language conversation or information exchange.

Users with better knowledge of active voice features often utilize apps such as a live translation provider, either for an active-voice conversation or written translation help.

One user reported that her ability to have real conversations while traveling depended entirely on the use of a live translation app.

The travelers

Only 2 out of the 31 respondents reported using voice active voice search on a map app. Thus, direct routes to public spaces or businesses are easily mapped out, without the need to type out specific addresses. This saved a lot of search time.

An illustration of how spoken destinations on a map app can easily render a direct route to the destination point that was asked for.

“I use voice directions throughout Europe to keep me from getting too lost.”

Using voice commands on a map app can make searching for a destination immediately available.

Overall devices used for voice commands

The use of a particular device is just as interesting as the use of a voice feature itself. Most respondents 67% use their mobile device for voice commands. However, 20% of respondents also use a homepod to actively engage with voice commands and answers. Desktop computers or laptops are used infrequently.

One respondent happily uses voice commands on his car navigation system and reports excellent results.

Why is all this important?

Voice and recording features are game changers for content creators.

Voice features are readily available on any device. Even though some companies engage in teaching users the advantages of voice features, using our own physical voice to our advantage remains an unknown asset for many. We either don’t know about the specific feature, or we haven’t developed the confidence in our own voice.

Fo example

You are a writer. In fact, several of the study participants are writing professionals. One user summed it up succinctly.

“It greatly benefits me to use my phone as my voice diary. I get immediate results with the transcriptions of my recordings.”

Important thoughts can easily get recorded and put to use. Dictating a stream-of-consciousness essay to myself greatly benefits my well-being as a writer. I can record my idea without searching for pen and paper, and can get back to it later with ease.

Or, you are a musician, as some participants have indicated. Recording your music as you go along greatly benefits your production.

Recording your singing voice or music is an effortless way to keep an inventory of melodic ideas.

How to learn about voice features on your device

Look for the microphone symbol. Click on it. You will be guided to a recording window, and you are live!

Examples of voice activation features on various app screens. The UI icon used is the microphone. The red button on the right highlights the microphone use as a next step.

Learn about your voice

Just as we know that listening is an important quality to master, speaking and utilizing your physical voice is an important aspect of digital technology. In the future, app inventors might give more thought to enriching users with voice features. Aligned to that, big tech companies might entice users with tips and insights on how to develop their voice activation to their own benefit.

What about the nay-sayers?

Some of the respondents who reported zero use of device-specific voice commands or recordings raised issues of trust and privacy concerns. One person reported a dislike of talking to a machine. 3 people pragmatically dismissed the idea of exploring their voices and voice recording options.

These concerns are valid, and remain highly personal decisions. There is no pressure in perusing any of these voice features.

In summary

Voice recording features such as dictation, music or memo recording greatly benefit users who look for digital options to organically produce content quickly.

Using voice-activated commands can deliver results quickly.

Practicing your physical voice imbues confidence at large.

Finding out more about voice features can be a game changer for creators.