Article

Ask the Experts: Identifying the characteristics of a good narrator for kiosk voice prompts

What should deployers of self-service kiosks look for when selecting a narrator for the kiosk's voice prompts? Allison Smith, a professional voice actress who has voiced kiosks in the past, gives her advice.

March 3, 2009

Voice prompts can sometimes be a helpful feature of any kiosk solution. If they are recorded in a conversational, inviting tone, they act as a friendly guide to walk the user through the self-service process. On the other hand, the wrong voice can be a big turn off for users.

A professional voice actor or actress can be hired to create the narration, if the kiosk deployer chooses. Allison Smith is one such actress who has voiced kiosks before. Travis K. Kircher, editor of SelfService.org, spoke with Smith and asked her, "What should deployers of self-service kiosks look for when selecting a narrator for the kiosk's voice prompts?" Smith provides her insight on what works and what doesn't.