Towards Self Expression Through Voice User Interfaces

Self-expression through expressive writing yields positive health outcomes. However, people who have difficulty writing by traditional means may have difficulty accessing these benefits. This work proposes a study to investigate whether the positive effects of self-expression can be achieved through a voice user interface (VUI). The study compares traditional expression (writing) to expression using a VUI (voice). This work will extend the realm of expressive writing research to include voice user interfaces (VUIs) as a medium of expression. We expect expression through VUIs to yield results similar to traditional methods of expression such as writing. This finding would indicate that we may be able to make the benefits of expressive writing such as positive health outcomes available to people who cannot write by traditional means.