Article

Talking heads -- adding the human touch, without the human

Several companies are testing the use of talking heads in self-service transactions such as check cashing, self check-ins and bag checks; however, the jury is still out on how successful they have been.

July 21, 2004

For those watching television in the mid-'80s, you may remember a brief, but highly talked about, show that featured a computer-generated talking head.

In reality, Max Headroom was not a real computer-generated image, it was actor Matt Frewer in a headpiece.

Someone on the script-writing team must have been paying close attention to a crystal ball. The show predicted that "intelligent agents" in computer programs would become common in applications such as guiding users through complex computer operations.

Today, animated personas -- also known as avatars or talking heads -- are being used  to add value to kiosk deployments.

Talking heads have animated human or human-like synthetic faces that speak with digital speech technology. When used, they create better user acceptance, usability and appeal for interactive kiosks.

Studies show users like talking heads and rate them high in competence, intelligence and sociability: the psychological phenomenon of an attractiveness stereotype.

Several companies are testing the use of talking heads in self-service transactions such as check cashing, self check-ins and bag checks; however, the jury is still out on how successful they have been.

Mark Grossi, NCR's chief technology officer, believes that talking heads are a less-than-perfect solution to fill a human void in otherwise automated transactions.

Grossi and his Advanced Concepts team in Dundee, Scotland are exploring ways of bringing a human touch to automated transactions -- without the human.

Introducing human elements into self-service transactions without a human is tricky, Grossi admited. "You have to get the look, the sound and the feel right. Promoting trust is what you're after."

George the Dog

Evolution of an avatar

Grossi's team began dabbling with the concept in 1997 with Granny, a somewhat eccentric animated character that popped up at key points during ATM transactions. Designed to appeal to a youthful demographic, Granny cracked remarks appropriate to the transaction such as, "Are you sure that's enough? Uncle Bob's birthday is coming up", when users opted to withdraw a small amount of cash from their accounts.

A grandmother was chosen, Grossi said, because she conveyed trust and knowledge. "Most people with grandmothers view them as someone they can turn to in a crisis."

Granny was a simple line drawing, created by NCR designers wielding crayons, pencils and storyboards. They got a more realistic look using computer-based animation models with their next effort, George the Dog. Such tools, previously only used by filmmakers, were becoming more accessible to the mainstream, Grossi said.

Perhaps the biggest step forward with George, a furry English Sheepdog attired in a vest, jacket and bowler, was his ability to interact with his environment. He played with toy blocks, meant to indicate banking products such as mortgages and certificates of deposit.

Timmy

"He was not just in a virtual space," Grossi said. "He was more of a 2-D animation."

Sophisticated ladies

With the next incarnation, NCR decided to bring in the D.A. Group, a UK-based company that helped create Ananova, the virtual newscaster seen at the Web site ananova.com. The result of their collaboration was Timmy, a young woman with the look and sound of more sophisticated virtual humans, or avatars, like Ananova.

She made her public debut as a "concierge" on a kiosk at the 2001 Retail Delivery Conference in Anaheim, Calif., in Room 504, an invitation-only collection of cutting edge self-service concepts visited by top NCR clients and potential clients.

The results were mixed, Grossi said. Most folks, especially women, found Timmy too flirtatious. One of her gestures, "the hair flick," bothered both males and females.

Based on their feedback, NCR and the D.A. Group created Maddy, a slightly older woman with a more conservative hairstyle, clothing and mannerisms.

A real breakthrough with both Timmy and Maddy involved their nearly human voices, a result of improvements in text-to-speech technology. "You can't have a robotic sounding voice with these kinds of applications. It really puts people off," Grossi said.

Virtual guide

At NCR's Advanced Concept Lab in Dundee, Maddy is seen on the idle or welcome screen of a Personas 78, the same ATM used by 7-Eleven for its Vcom kiosk program. She introduces users to the machine and can be interrupted at any time by more experienced users, Grossi said.

Maddy

When a transaction is selected, Maddy walks the user through the process. She can also be summoned for help during the transaction.

This is important with self-service devices, which have the ability to offer a number of  transactions, Grossi said. "Even with the lead-through lights and other visual aids, the machine is different enough that you get people trying to stick things in the wrong holes."

In addition to assisting with advanced self-service transactions, Grossi said talking heads like Maddy can be used to build brand awareness. The UK's Halifax already incorporates an avatar, called Howard, in television advertising campaigns and on its Web site, he said.

With the increased interest in offering more personalized experiences to customers at self-service devices like kiosks and ATMs, the talking head could be connected to CRM databases and used to deliver personalized offers, he said.

Avatars hold a particular appeal for 16- to 30-year-olds, Grossi said. "They're your next generation of consumers."