Nearly Half of People Have Accidentally Accessed Siri or Other Voice Assistants in Past Month by Pressing the Wrong Button

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sixty-four percent (64%) of voice search users have accidentally accessed their voice assistant in the last month, according to The Manifest, a small business news and how to website.

Nearly half of these false positives (49%) were triggered by users pressing the wrong button on their smart speaker or mobile device, resulting in embarrassing and awkward social situations.

For example, Minnesota State University senior Joshua Liljenquist faced embarrassment after Siri accidentally turned on during a class.

"A wrinkle in my jeans must have set off Siri … My face turned bright red and I wanted to grab my things and sprint out of the classroom," said Liljenquist.

Voice assistants can also be unintentionally turned on in other ways. The Manifest found that users also experience unwanted interactions with voice assistants when:

• Their device "thinks" it hears its name (29%)
• They talk about the voice assistant without requesting it (26%)
• They say a similar name (e.g., Alex for Alexa) (20%)

Most People Experience Frustration With Voice Technology

Frustrations with voice technology are common. Only 5% of people say they never get frustrated with their voice assistant whether it's on a mobile device or smart speaker.

These frustrations may happen when users unintentionally turn on their voice assistant.  Frustrations may also arise when people receive unhelpful voice search results.

Despite recent advancements, voice search can only answer certain types of questions accurately.

"Voice search is not perfect, just as any search is not perfect," said Andrew Selepak, director of MAMC Social Media. "The thing to remember is that voice search can handle who, what, when, and where questions but is still limited and unable to really handle why and how questions."

Industry Leaders Aim to Alleviate Users' Voice Search Frustrations

Industry leaders such as Google and Amazon are working to address common frustrations with voice search.

In 2019, Google released an update to BERT, its algorithm that improves the search engine's ability to process the user intent behind search queries. In 2018, Amazon revealed that it does alter its advertisements for the Amazon Echo to prevent accidentally triggering viewers' "Alexas."

Frustrations persist with voice technology, but experts are hopeful it will improve in 2020 and become more popular.

"I think by the end of 2020, we will have seen that tipping point where more searches are done with voice than with [typed queries]," said John Foster, CEO of Aiqudo.

"Once it happens, people won't go back. It's not like people will do half their searches with voice and half with text."

The Manifest's survey included 501 voice search users in the U.S.

Read the full report: https://themanifest.com/digital-marketing/resources/siri-alexa-fails-frustrations-with-voice-search

For questions about the survey or a comment on the findings, contact Toby Cox at [email protected].

About The Manifest

The Manifest is a business news and how-to site that compiles and analyzes practical business wisdom for innovators, entrepreneurs, and small and mid-market businesses. Use The Manifest as an approachable tour guide through every stage of the buyer journey. With three main offerings – data-driven benchmarks, step-by-step guides, and agency shortlists – The Manifest strives to make your business goals a reality.

Contact
Toby Cox
[email protected]
202-905-0610

SOURCE The Manifest

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