Primer on the context of voice: in the car, at home & on the go

June 29, 2019 ☼ Voice ☼ Bookmarks

Want to know more about the context in which voice assistants are used? We have compiled the key facts and figures of existing studies in this quick primer.

Smartphones and cars drive volumes but at-home smart speakers drive engagement and cars top the numbers of monthly users. This is somewhat logical when considering that: – most smartphones and car natively embed voice assistants– the penetration of smartphones and car among the population is very high– smartphones are following their owner everywhere– Americans spend in average 54 minutes in their car every day – voice was available in cars as early as 2004, 10 years before the first smart speakerHowever, at home users are much more engaged with smart speakers: these are way in the lead when it comes to the proportion of daily use.

use cases vary depending on the context

contexts, different ecosystems

home, some locations are preferred for smart speakers

44% in the living room 38% in the bedroom 33% in the kitchen

The car is a complex context for voice interactions

The specifics of driving impact the conversation paths and content :Safety comes first, conversation second: at anytime the user might need to quit the conversation and will come back to it later.The need for offline use is likely (e.g. in an underground garage, a remote area…)The physical environment is challenging for voice recognition because of cabin noise and microphone positioningSome use cases are car-specific (e.g. cabin controls, questions about the surroundings)

The multi-layered in-car ecosystem pushes for cross-assistants conversations capabilities

76% of drivers are interested in having their in-home voice service in their next vehicle becauseThere is no learning curve for the user (66%)There is no learning curve for the voice assistant (57%)They want seamless experience (49%)Tesla registers the worst conversion rate (50%) from trial to monthly use of voice in car because it does not support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

Car capabilities: an increasingly high stake for car makers 59% of drivers are more likely to buy from a specific car manufacturer if their in-home voice service is available in their car 74% among Gen Y 79% among Gen Z

Source: Dashbot