Abstract
A virtual agent is a human-like character that is designed to assist users in interactions with technology and virtual worlds. Research into the preferred visual characteristics of a virtual agent has focused on education-based agents, gaming avatars, and online help assistants. However, findings from these studies are not necessarily generalizable to other technologies, such as self-service checkouts (SSCO). This paper describes data from 578 participants, looking at the gender preferences of Virtual Assistants (VA) in a SSCO context and the impact of VA realism depending on user gender. Due to female participants’ preference for female VAs, and an overall preference for three-dimensional characters, a realistic, female VA should be used in SSCO. The results are discussed in terms of similarity-attraction theory and social role theory.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Intelligent Virtual Agents |
Subtitle of host publication | 13th International Conference, IVA 2013 Edinburgh, UK, August 29-31, 2013: proceedings |
Editors | Ruth Aylett, Brigitte Krenn, Catherine Pelachaud, Hiroshi Shimodaira |
Place of Publication | London |
Publisher | Springer-Verlag |
Pages | 106-115 |
Number of pages | 10 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9783642404153 |
ISBN (Print) | 9783642404146 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2013 |
Event | 13th International Conference on Intelligent Virtual Agents - Edinburgh, United Kingdom Duration: 29 Aug 2013 → 31 Aug 2013 Conference number: 13th |
Publication series
Name | Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence |
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Publisher | Springer-Verlag |
Volume | 8108 |
ISSN (Print) | 0302-9743 |
ISSN (Electronic) | 1611-3349 |
Conference
Conference | 13th International Conference on Intelligent Virtual Agents |
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Abbreviated title | IVA 2013 |
Country | United Kingdom |
City | Edinburgh |
Period | 29/08/13 → 31/08/13 |