Conversation Analytics Case Study – Saul Albert

Saul Albert, Magnus Hamann, Elizabeth Stokoe

Abstract:

Policymakers are increasingly interested in using virtual assistants to improve social service delivery in the context of the demographic aging crisis. At the same time, technology companies are marketing conversational user interfaces (CUI) and smart home systems as assistive technologies for seniors and people with disabilities. However, we know little about how commercially available CUIs are currently used to assist with daily home care activities, or how care service users and human care assistants interpret and adapt this technology in practice. Here we report a longitudinal conversation analytics case study to identify, describe, and share how CUI can be used as an assistive conversation agent in practice. The analysis revealed that, although CUI can augment and support new capabilities in the home care environment, it cannot replace the complex interactional work of human care assistants. We argue that the CUI= design is most inspired and supported by a better understanding of the joint coordination of home care activities

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