Differences between smart speakers and graphical user interfaces for music search considering gender effects

The ubiquitous availability of smart speakers allows hands- and eyes-free interaction through Voice User Interfaces (VUIs). Control-ling music playback is the most commonly used feature of VUIs. Previous work investigated how users naturally interact with smart speakers and suggested that users' gender could affect the devices' usability. The usability of commercial devices compared to other interactive systems and the effects of users' gender is, however, unclear. Therefore, we conducted a study with 20 participants using an Amazon Echo Dot and a laptop device. Participants searched for artists and titles using a Graphical User Interface (GUI) and a VUI. In addition, they performed different tasks such as saving a song in a playlist or adding songs into a queue. The analysis revealed that the VUI provides significantly lower usability because it lacks features, requires higher mental effort, and provides confusing answers. In contrast to previous concerns, the analysis did not reveal significant device×gender effects.