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Comment by sudosteph | Hacker News Reader

Does anyone here actually use voice control commands in public (at a coffee shop, on the sidewalk) like the ads for this are suggesting? If so, does it feel awkward?

Expecting people to speak their commands in public just seems intrusive and I don't understand companies trying to pretend it's a norm to sell their products. I really don't want to know what song the person next to me is listening to. That's the point of headphones.

People with visual disabilities often already have better tools to interact with their phones with privacy, and nobody minds people using voice for people with physical disabilities either (and these tools exist already too).

Related: it's about to be even more weird for everyone in the world named "Alexa".

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Not exactly a public setting -- but in the lab, I use raise-to-activate Siri on Apple Watch for setting timers and doing basic arithmetic (e.g. "what's 3% of 42 ml?"). It's been really helpful, since I have to have gloves on at all times.

With others around or alone? I feel like talking to an inanimate object is weird when others are around (sometimes even alone).

To be fair, with everyone using bluetooth earphones, I got used to people "talking to themselves" now. A decade+ ago I worked in a retail store and thought it was weird, but now I just assume they're using bluetooth

Both. The watch doesn't require a normal speaking level voice, so it's less awkward than speaking to Siri on my phone. It still feels a little weird, but people in the lab are used to it at this point.

The most awkward time is when the raise-to-activate doesn't work for whatever reason and I have to say the same thing again.

This only shows that you have a high tolerance for awkwardness. We also need to interview your colleagues to see if they consider you a weirdo.

Only with these two pieces of info we can decide whether it's feasible to use voice assistants in a lab setting.

Ha, that's fair. I actually think I have a very low tolerance for awkwardness.

I think people quickly grasp the reason why I'm doing it -- we all wear gloves, so the benefits are obvious to my fellow labmates.

this is the sort of thing I can see voice control being good for, and I feel pretty awkward when using it around people.

They've been around for nearly two decades now, but I am consistently caught off guard by people talking into well-concealed Bluetooth earpieces. Those are awkward enough.

About 19 years ago some guy at my school was by himself. He started talking as I walked by, and I naturally thought he was talking to me, so I stopped and asked, "Sorry, what was that?" He just stared away from me with an annoyed look on his face while he kept talking. At first I thought he had a disability, but when it became obvious he was on a phone call, that's when I first realized that wireless in-ear things like that were starting to exist.

It's still a little strange when people just randomly start talking when I'm the only other person around.

Reminds me of a commentary I read about a dozen years ago, whee the author has a similar experience to you, and starts craning around to see what new headsets people are wearing, until one day he realized that he actually was again seeing a crazy person talking to themselves. Full circle.

With a friend, I then designed a silly “Kinesic Interface” wearable UI concept for ID Magazine that tried to solve this issue by using gestures that made some sense to both humans and the computer, i.e. take a photo by winking at the person, or change the volume by sticking your finger in your ear and turning as if you're cleaning your ear out to hear better.

> Does anyone here actually use voice control commands in public (at a coffee shop, on the sidewalk) like the ads for this are suggesting? If so, does it feel awkward?

Most people I know actually use them in the car frequently, but in public rarely.

>Does anyone here actually use voice control commands in public (at a coffee shop, on the sidewalk) like the ads for this are suggesting? If so, does it feel awkward?

Do people make phone calls in public and talk through BT? It's not really that different. Instead of saying "Yeah, how about next Friday" or similar, you say "Alexa, skip this song" and such.

And when you're walking, and e.g. ask for GPS directions or something your BT earbuds, it's even more normal...

In final analysis, unless you shout or something, nobody gives a duck...

I'm asking because I can't imagine doing it. I hold my phone to my ear if I have to take a call in public.

And I described a scenario that would be annoying to me at least (random coffee shop person saying their song name out loud to play it instead of just using their phone screen). Maybe its just a matter of different cultures though . I'm from the southern US, so it's normal to talk to strangers and people judge others for manners.

I’ve also found that the microphone is pretty good so I can use a lower volume than I would in a conversation, which leads me to believe that most folks aren’t even aware that I’m speaking.

Yeah, the South moves more slowly than the rest of the US in adoption of things like that. I say that as a person from north Georgia. Manners do matter more for sure!

>random coffee shop person saying their song name out loud to play it instead of just using their phone screen

Well, if you do it once (to set an album or playlist or single song to play), nobody cares. If you talk to cue every song to be played, sure you'll annoy someone.

It's worse with an assistant. Most of the time I expect it to fail, aside from trivial things like setting a timer. In which case I'll have to say things again, louder, and will look like an idiot. I'd much prefer textual interface for such things when using them in public, especially if it's able to keep the context better.

Every fucking time I'm jogging...

"Hey Siri next song."

"Okay, calling Sam."

Happened three times before I stopped using voice commands altogether unless, ironically, my hands are free to correct it quickly.

That's the biggest reason for me not to use Siri in public, most times it never activates, when it does, often can't understand my request. Taking out phone and just a few taps is much better UX.

I do occasionally, but it is awkward and attracts odd looks and/or eyerolls. What I really want is subvocalized commands via implant like in Orson Scott Card's Speaker for the Dead, but I don't see that happening for at least a decade with the current state of voice recognition tech.

I'd use them in any place that wouldn't feel weird to have a phone call. In practice, this generally doesn't include the middle of a coffee shop due to the noise, or for that matter even a particularly busy sidewalk.

But a less busy area while walking the neighborhood? Sure

Though, for that matter, I wish it was seen as rude to use your phone in many more places than people apparently feel comfortable doing it.

Have you ever been to a movie theater in Viet Nam ( I can't speak for the rest of SEA )? It's incredibly common for people to talk to each other in a full theater and use their phones (at high brightnesses). I suspect it's because not much care is given to being able to hear the dialogue in the movie since everyone is reading the subtitles anyways. Complete culture shock compared to the US.

I completely agree with you.

> Does anyone here actually use voice control commands in public...

I often wonder about this too. I intentionally avoid any voice commands in public as I find them distracting - even awkward as you mention. Talking to a computer as a means of input to me still feels strange, although I understand the many uses (cooking instructions with messy hands for example). I would feel really awkward asking Alexa to perform a task while waiting in a line at the bank though. I recently purchased a Google Home mainly for music in the kitchen while cooking and I still find it difficult to talk to it.

On a side note, with the growing popularity of the Alexa devices, I wonder if we are going to start seeing the "Alexa, <do something>" commands affecting other devices to the point of ruining these devices all together. Imagine sitting in a coffee shop making a command and several other people have these devices (in close proximity). I know TV shows/commercials/radios have already set off these devices in the past.

A few years ago when the Apple Watch was still new, a guy in my team bought the watch. I always thought he was talking to me when he brew his press coffee in the kitchen and I was standing near refilling my water bottle. He would say "Siri, remind me in 4 minutes" and I looked over asking "pardon me?", 100% of the time.

That’s funny. Setting timers for making coffee is actually the ONLY time I ever use Alexa or Siri. In fact, I have my one and only Echo Dot placed by my coffee setup in the kitchen.

I use Siri to do a few things[1], but I've never done it when there were people around that I'm aware of. I'd feel awkward.

[1]start workouts, set timers, shuffle music

i don't even use them at home. i don't know why, but it's still really awkward -- specially when you need to repeat yourself because the device didn't understand you.

you can only say "alexa" or "hey google" so many times until you feel dumb.

I used to talk to myself a lot when I was a kid. I didn't make sounds, I just mouthed stuff. And I got a ton of shit for it.

I can't even bring myself to use the voice control on my Apple TV even when I know I am completely alone. It is just way to awkward.

Around 2005, I was taking a documentary film class. The only student film I remember from that class was basically footage of college kids on Bluetooth headphones juxtaposed with mentally ill homeless people talking to themselves. It was strikingly awkward

On the sidewalk in a relatively open space would be one thing, but in a coffee shop or on pubic transport I'd consider it an impolite/inconsiderate action and generally bad manners.

Just today I was walking down the street when a young man (16-20 years old) biked by while shouting, "hey Siri* call mike".

(*Siri capitalized by autocorrect.)

> Does anyone here actually use voice control commands in public (at a coffee shop, on the sidewalk) like the ads for this are suggesting? If so, does it feel awkward?

I use Siri — with the AirPods or Apple Watch — in the coffee shop I am usually at all the time. I live in Brazil, but have everything set to English, so maybe that is what helps me not feel awkward.

Yes, it is no weirder than talking on a Bluetooth headset in public. Some people will never do it because it can be awkward but others will. In 10 years it will be an accepted norm or it will completely die out. I suspect it will become an accepted norm.

I find it convenient when it works. I'd do it more often if it could pick up my voice more clearly amongst the noise.

Yes, every time I'm running and want to change the music I'm listening to, which is at least once a run.

I'm going to name my future daughter "Alexa" as a lifelong prank. And if I have a son, I'll name him "Ok, Google" :P

Jokes aside, I have been using voice commands more frequently in public and I've noticed most people are able to differentiate the tone you speak to AI vs. the tones you use to speak to people (irl or on the phone). Though, I still do accidentally troll bystanders once in a while.

this would make more sense if more people had real offices with doors that could close. unfortunately for Amazon, most offices are open plan, and yeah it would be awkward making these requests in public unless you're in your car... but we have Apple CarPlay and Android Car for that.

I actually do. I was self conscious at first but grew to be comfortable with it.

Very likely going to buy these - I currently use Siri for hands free while I’m outside but these seem much more well integrated with the apps I use.

It's only awkward until apple does it.

There isn't any actual reason this should be awkward other than your personal bias telling you you're doing something that is not normal - yet.

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