#amomentwithmaghie #discussionzone
As a human factors professional, designing human-centric applications presents challenges in a fast-paced world of systems development. A near-future application likely to be implemented in an industrial setting using speech as the principal interface points to a basis in what has been deemed “artificial intelligence,” more commonly known as “A.I.” Because of the current technological trends, this type of system is most adaptable to speech integration and engagement in human use due to the ability to use deep-learning models to create functional outcomes similar to those of human reactions.
Although fears of the transhumanism movement may bring questions as to the ethics of this trending research, there are many advantages to utilizing the technology available in the current space as a foundation for integration into the industry as a long-term trend. Because it is human nature to fear the unknown, more research is needed to bring an understanding of the interaction between humans and artificial intelligence to improve the nature of engagement. At this point, the best interfaces continue to require more adaptability on the part of the human operator, such as sitting or holding a device, in order to utilize this technology on a large scale.
As a proponent of human-centric design, speech-to-text is an area of opportunity for improvements in the world of human-machine interaction (HMI). Psycholinguistics, which focuses on the psychological study of language, is concerned with comprehension, representation, speech production, and acquisition of language (Goldstein, p. 324, 2018). By integrating this knowledge of how important language is to creating the reality perceived by an individual, advancements in speech interfaces would allow improvements in the usability of the functions now available.
With options such as predictive closed captioning as seen on television screens and programs such as “Alexa,” the speech-to-text capabilities have improved; however, when utilizing an immersive reader, the voices are often “robotic” and cannot distinguish lines a natural reader would scan and skip. The opportunities for training within industries are outstanding as vibrational tones, displays, and other learning cues could be built into an orientation program for companies to enhance employee experience.
In noting that research remains quite biased, many opportunities exist to implement design enhancements based on language learning (Boroditsky, 2018). Without more information on language structures beyond the English Language, research faces limitations and could benefit from multi-cultural considerations that initiated specific systems based on phonetics, direction, etc.
There are also improvements in how humans understand the language of computers available in education, yet a balance of technology and the natural environment to encourage contextual development would be the most ideal to ensure healthy neuroplasticity for dynamic stasis to maintain a human-centric design.
References
Goldstein, E. B. (2018). Cognitive psychology: connecting mind research and everyday experience (5th ed.). 320-353. Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Boroditsky, L. (2018). How language shapes the way we think. TED Talks. YouTube. Retrieved November 27, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKK7wGAYP6k&t=848s.
Human Centric Designs 