Smart speakers and skill use: what do we know?

Personal smart technologies are becoming increasingly interwoven into everyday life, yet the usability and usefulness for some of these off-the-shelf technologies for persons with disabilities has yet to be determined. Smart speakers with both their native and downloadable functionalities (skills) have great potential to support individuals with disabilities through communication functionalities, smart home integrations, and more. However, the potential for usefulness does not always translate to how something is actually perceived or used in the real-world. Therefore, the objective of this qualitative study was to gather insight from individuals with disabilities on their experiences with smart speakers and smart speaker skills. Participant feedback highlighted several primary themes: (1) external factors that might influence extent of, and advancement in smart speaker use, (2) Smart speaker use barriers, (3) Smart speaker use facilitators, and (4) Smart speaker uses specific to individuals with disabilities. Continued research and development is needed to help ensure that commercially available technologies are designed with universal design principles that will ensure accessibility for all potential users.