We helped a public service broadcaster explore how people engage with voice-delivered news – uncovering their needs, habits, and expectations through inclusive, real-world research.
The Challenge
Our client was developing a voice-based prototype that would deliver their news services via smart speakers and other voice based home devices. To guide development they needed to understand how people perceive or use this format – especially given its differences from traditional news delivery. They asked Sutherland Labs to explore:
- What mental models and expectations users bring to voice news
- How different users (including those with mild impairments) interact with the content
- Whether the product could form part of people’s daily routines
Our Approach
We ran three iterative research rounds across the UK to capture evolving user feedback and inform product development. This included:
Ethnographic home visits. Prototype skills were installed on participants’ own devices and conducted in-home interviews to understand their habits, environments, and expectations.
Diary study. Participants used the prototype skill in their natural contexts and logged their reactions via video and text. Remote follow-up interviews let us explore key moments and gather deeper insight.
Inclusive research. Each round included participants with mild cognitive or hearing impairments, allowing us to test the accessibility and inclusivity of the experience and inform future iterations.
We chose to combining in-context and longitudinal methods to uncover both initial reactions and longer-term behaviors – in other words not just what users said they would do, but how the product would really fit into their daily routines.
Research participant (anonymised).This is like watching the news without watching anything, so I can do my jobs without needing to stop and look at a screen.
The Outcomes:
The research provided a clear picture of how users expected voice news to work, and highlighted key considerations that could alleviate confusion or lead to unwanted features. We revealed use cases when passive listening was more desired – such as multitasking moments – as well as usability and accessibility concerns to build a more inclusive experience overall.
Our insights included video that captured real user experiences and soundbites, and brought the stakeholders closer to peoples’ experiences of voice news.
Curious how people will really use your product? We bring inclusive research into early-stage product development – we’d love to discuss your goals.