Effects of application type on the choice of interaction modality in IVR systems

Abstract

This paper addresses the feasibility of using the telephone as a tool for information access in the technology challenged and illiterate communities of Southern Africa. We did two case studies of disparate Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems, i.e., OpenPhone system being a disagreeable health information system for information on a stigmatized illness issue and Beautiful Game Results (BGR) system being a pleasurable application for soccer fans to access the results of recently played soccer games. The research compared the users' choice of interaction modality between DTMF and speech-enabled IVR modalities. The targeted users were oral users of Southern Africa with diverse literacy levels ranging from functionally illiterate to literate adults but who are nevertheless numerically literate. We found that the type of application presented to the users instigated their choice between DTMF and the speech-enabled IVR modalities.