ISCA Archive Interspeech 2009
ISCA Archive Interspeech 2009

The effects of different voices for speech-based in-vehicle interfaces: impact of young and old voices on driving performance and attitude

Ing-Marie Jonsson, Nils Dahlbäck

This paper investigates how matching age of driver with age of voice in a conversational in-vehicle information system affects attitudes and performance. 36 participants from age groups, 55–75 and 18–25, interacted with a conversational system with young or old voice in a driving simulator. Results show that all drivers rather communicated with a young than old voice in the car. This willingness to communicate had a detrimental effect on driving performance. It is hence important to carefully select voices, since voice properties can have enormous effects on driving safety. Clearly, one voice doesn’t fit all.