Adobe: COVID-19 makes consumers receptive to voice technology

A new survey from Adobe indicates many consumers see the touchless nature of voice technology as a selling point.

The second annual Adobe voice technology survey asked 1,000 U.S. adult users of the technology about their voice-related experiences and behaviors. Almost one in three respondents (31%) counts sanitation, like not needing to touch high-traffic surfaces, as a benefit.

When asked about situations in their personal lives where they previously might not have considered using voice technology, 37% of respondents would be open to using it for checking their bank balance, 29% would use it to book a medical appointment and 28% would request a grocery delivery with voice technology. 

In additional to personal use, 86% of respondents say that voice technology could make visiting businesses or attending events more sanitary. At businesses and events, half of respondents want to see voice technology for tasks like opening a door (56%), choosing a floor on the elevator (55%), or using a vending machine (49%).

Similar to results of the 2019 survey, some of the most popular uses for voice technology involve apps for maps or driving (52%), texting or chat (51%) and music (46%). Only one in four respondents uses voice technology beyond simple searches, such as finding, ordering and sending a highly-rated gift to a friend.

While most (89%) respondents say that voice technology is easy to use, better accuracy is the most desired improvement, with 57% of respondents say improvements in accuracy would cause them to use voice technology more often or for more purposes. Additionally, 62% of respondents feel awkward using voice technology when other people are present.

In comparison to Adobe’s 2019 survey, the number of respondents who claim that they do not know where to begin accomplishing a task using voice technology went up by 14%. Additionally, 39% of respondents used voice technology for the first time in the past year. A very select group of respondents (6%) ranks themselves as a “power user” who knows all the capabilities and could be a resource for others.

However, respondents plan to use more voice technology. Almost half (49%) predict that by 2025, voice technology will better meet their needs as its design continues to develop.