Effects of Virtual Assistant Features on User Experience in Service Settings
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: High Anthropomorphism, Low Anthropomorphism, Accurate Virtual Assistant Response, Inaccurate Virtual Assistant Response.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: User Experience With Virtual Assistants in Service Settings. Basic parameters: from 18 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Spain
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Virtual Assistants as Agents of Change: Improving User Interaction and User Experience Outcomes in Service Delivery
Overview
This study examines how the characteristics and performance of virtual assistants influence user experience in service settings. Approximately 400 adults will interact with virtual assistants presented as avatars, chatbots, or voice assistants in simulated tourism, cultural, retail, or financial service situations. Participants will be exposed to one or more experimental conditions that may differ in features such as communication style, language specificity, anthropomorphism, personalization, type of virtual assistant, level of immersion, or the presence of inaccurate responses or errors. After the interaction, participants will complete questionnaires about their perceptions, emotions, trust, satisfaction, acceptance of recommendations, and intention to use the virtual assistant. During the experimental session, non-invasive methods may be used to measure visual attention and psychophysiological responses. These methods include eye tracking, electrodermal activity, electroencephalography, and automated facial expression analysis. Facial recordings will be used to analyze emotional expressions and will not be used to identify participants. The study does not involve drugs, biological products, medical treatments, diagnostic procedures, or investigational medical devices. Its purpose is to improve scientific understanding of human interaction with artificial intelligence and virtual assistants in service environments.
Detailed description
Virtual assistants are artificial intelligence systems that enable users to interact with digital services via text, voice, or embodied avatars. Their use does not necessarily improve user experience because interaction outcomes may depend on the design and behavior of the virtual assistant, the service context, and the characteristics of the user.
The main objective of this study is to identify the factors that influence user interaction and user experience outcomes when people engage with virtual assistants in service settings. The study will examine characteristics such as the type of virtual assistant, communication style, language specificity, anthropomorphism, personalization, adaptability, appearance, voice, level of immersion, and the occurrence of inaccurate, erroneous, or unexpected responses.
Approximately 400 adults aged 18 years or older will participate in experimental sessions conducted primarily at the Consumer Behavior Research Laboratory (LICCO) of the University of Malaga. Participants will be recruited through the Online Recruitment System for Economic Experiments (ORSEE), university communication channels, social media, collaborating organizations, and other appropriate recruitment channels.
Participants will interact with or be exposed to virtual assistants developed or configured for the study. These may include avatars, chatbots, and voice assistants presented in two-dimensional or immersive three-dimensional environments. The experimental materials may also include edited images, audio, or video representing simulated interactions with virtual assistants in tourism, cultural, retail, financial, or other service contexts.
Depending on the specific experimental design, participants will be assigned to conditions that differ in one or more virtual assistant features or interaction outcomes. The study may compare different levels of anthropomorphism, communication styles, degrees of language specificity, personalization, assistant modality, immersion, or response accuracy. The final allocation procedures and experimental conditions will be defined before recruitment and documented in the study protocol and ClinicalTrials.gov record.
After the interaction, participants will complete questionnaires assessing variables such as perceived usefulness, enjoyment, symbolic benefits, trust, satisfaction, attitude toward the recommendation, acceptance of recommendations, perceived risk, privacy concerns, emotional response, and intention to use the virtual assistant. Relevant participant characteristics, including age, gender, personality, personal innovativeness, digital experience, and accessibility needs, may also be examined as explanatory or moderating variables.
Non-invasive consumer neuroscience and psychophysiological techniques may be used during the experimental session. Eye tracking will record gaze position, visual fixations, and eye movements. Electrodermal activity will be used to assess changes in physiological arousal. Electroencephalography will record electrical brain activity associated with cognitive and emotional processing. Automated facial expression analysis will code observable facial movements and emotional expressions. Facial recordings will not be used for biometric identification, authentication, or identity verification.
Participants will receive study information and provide informed consent before data collection. A safety screening questionnaire will be administered when required for the psychophysiological procedures. Data will be coded and stored separately from directly identifying information. Results will be reported only in aggregated, anonymized, or appropriately pseudonymized form.
The study is behavioral and non-therapeutic. It does not involve medication, biological samples, medical treatment, diagnosis, or evaluation of a medical device. The procedures are non-invasive, although participants may experience temporary tiredness or minor discomfort during the experimental session.
Interventions
- Behavioral High Anthropomorphism
The virtual assistant will display a comparatively high level of human-like visual, vocal, or conversational characteristics, as operationalized in the experimental protocol. - Behavioral Low Anthropomorphism
The virtual assistant will display a comparatively low level of human-like visual, vocal, or conversational characteristics, as operationalized in the experimental protocol. - Behavioral Accurate Virtual Assistant Response
The virtual assistant will provide accurate, relevant, and contextually appropriate information during the simulated service interaction. - Behavioral Inaccurate Virtual Assistant Response
The virtual assistant will provide a predefined inaccurate or contextually inappropriate response during the simulated service interaction. The error will be standardized across participants assigned to this condition and will not concern medical, safety-related, or other high-risk information.
Primary outcome measures
- Trust in the Virtual Assistant [Time frame: Immediately after the virtual assistant interaction, during the same experimental session]
Secondary outcome measures (5)
- User Satisfaction With the Virtual Assistant [Time frame: Immediately after the virtual assistant interaction, during the same experimental session]
- Intention to Use the Virtual Assistant [Time frame: Immediately after the virtual assistant interaction, during the same experimental session]
- Acceptance of the Virtual Assistant Recommendation [Time frame: Immediately after the virtual assistant interaction, during the same experimental session]
- Electrodermal Activity During the Virtual Assistant Interaction [Time frame: From the start to the end of the virtual assistant interaction, for up to 20 minutes.]
- Visual Attention During the Virtual Assistant Interaction [Time frame: Continuously during the virtual assistant interaction, over approximately 20 minutes.]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Adults aged 18 years or older.
- Able to understand the study information and provide informed consent.
- Sufficient proficiency in Spanish to understand the instructions and complete the study questionnaires.
- Able to interact with a computer-based virtual assistant and complete the experimental session.
- Willing to complete the study procedures, which may include questionnaires, eye tracking, electrodermal activity recording, electroencephalography, and facial expression recording.
Exclusion criteria
- Younger than 18 years.
- Unable to understand the study information or provide valid informed consent.
- Insufficient proficiency in Spanish to understand the instructions or complete the questionnaires.
- A visual, hearing, motor, or other condition that prevents completion of the specific experimental task and cannot be accommodated by the study procedures.
- A temporary health condition, discomfort, or technical incompatibility that, according to the study procedures, prevents safe or reliable completion of the experimental session.
- Previous participation in the same experimental protocol, when prior exposure could influence the study outcomes.
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Single blind
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
Study locations
Spain · 1 center
- Consumer Behavior Research Laboratory (LICCO), University of Malaga — Málaga
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07666295 · AVIR4SERVICES-EXP-01