We develop conversational agents for commercial applications, particularly customer support and interactive marketing. Our agents provide service and sales support in complex settings, including product selection, troubleshooting and pro-active form-completion support.
The agents we have deployed have been ‘embodied’ to various extents. Among the different representations we have trialed are: photograph of a human head and shoulders; head and shoulders avatar with some animation but no speech; head and shoulders avatar with some animation and speech (TTS); full-length avatar with some full-body animation and speech (TTS).
We have been closely monitoring feedback from clients and customers and have seen marked preference for certain forms of embodiment. Particular features have emerged as more significant for user comfort.
We are watching with interest the research on forms of embodiment being undertaken, particularly concerning gestures and expressions.
We are currently moving towards the development of avatars with greater facial and full-body animation than we have used previously, and with more finely-tuned TTS voice outputs.
Authors: Glenys McLaughlin
Event: SF08: Speed Papers