Context-Based Gating of Digital Assistant Speech Output
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic digital assistants often generate auditory speech outputs that can interfere with a user's tasks or increase cognitive load in certain environments, such as during covert operations or when addressing customers, leading to a need for an improved method to selectively gate speech-output functions.
Innovation Solution
An electronic computing device detects events that require reducing cognitive load through sensors or notifications and temporarily gates or ungates the speech-output function accordingly, allowing only critical information to be reproduced during specific periods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the speech-output function is continuously active to provide information to the user, then the user receives valuable information and assistance, but the cognitive load on the user increases and task performance may be interfered with
Solution Approach 1:
The speech-output function transitions between active and gated states dynamically based on detected event types. The system adjusts its information delivery behavior in real-time according to the operational context, switching from continuous speech output during low-priority events to suppressed output during high-priority events that require reduced cognitive load.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameter of the speech-output function from 'active' to 'gated' based on event priority. This parameter change controls whether speech output is permitted or suppressed, directly addressing the contradiction by adjusting the information delivery level according to the user's cognitive load requirements.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the speech-output function is gated during high-priority events to reduce cognitive load, then user focus is enhanced, but the user may miss important information that could have been delivered
Solution Approach 1:
The gating mechanism applies different quality levels of information delivery to different event types. High-priority events receive suppressed speech output (local gating) while low-priority events receive normal speech output. This localized application of gating ensures that information is not uniformly lost but selectively delivered based on contextual importance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses event detection and classification as feedback to control the speech-output function. The type of event detected provides feedback about the appropriate gating level, allowing the system to adapt its information delivery strategy based on the operational context and prioritize information delivery accordingly.
Data Source
AI summary
A process at an electronic computing device (device) for automatic and selective context-based gating of an electronic digital assistant speech-output function includes detecting, via a sensor communicatively coupled to the device or via a notification received at the device, an event associated with a need to reduce a cognitive load on the user. Responsively, temporarily gating a portion of an electronic digital assistant speech-output function to prevent reproduction to the user of one or more first speech-output events generated during a first period of time associated with the event. Subsequently, and after detecting that the event has ended, ending the temporary gating to allow reproduction of one or more second speech-output events generated during a second period of time after the event has ended.