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Effects of Virtual Assistant Features on User Experience in Service Settings
Sponsor: University of Malaga
Summary
This study examines how the characteristics and performance of virtual assistants influence user experience in service settings. Approximately 400 adults will interact with virtual assistants presented as avatars, chatbots, or voice assistants in simulated tourism, cultural, retail, or financial service situations. Participants will be exposed to one or more experimental conditions that may differ in features such as communication style, language specificity, anthropomorphism, personalization, type of virtual assistant, level of immersion, or the presence of inaccurate responses or errors. After the interaction, participants will complete questionnaires about their perceptions, emotions, trust, satisfaction, acceptance of recommendations, and intention to use the virtual assistant. During the experimental session, non-invasive methods may be used to measure visual attention and psychophysiological responses. These methods include eye tracking, electrodermal activity, electroencephalography, and automated facial expression analysis. Facial recordings will be used to analyze emotional expressions and will not be used to identify participants. The study does not involve drugs, biological products, medical treatments, diagnostic procedures, or investigational medical devices. Its purpose is to improve scientific understanding of human interaction with artificial intelligence and virtual assistants in service environments.
Official title: Virtual Assistants as Agents of Change: Improving User Interaction and User Experience Outcomes in Service Delivery
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - Any
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
400
Start Date
2026-09
Completion Date
2028-01
Last Updated
2026-06-24
Healthy Volunteers
Yes
Interventions
High Anthropomorphism
The virtual assistant will display a comparatively high level of human-like visual, vocal, or conversational characteristics, as operationalized in the experimental protocol.
Low Anthropomorphism
The virtual assistant will display a comparatively low level of human-like visual, vocal, or conversational characteristics, as operationalized in the experimental protocol.
Accurate Virtual Assistant Response
The virtual assistant will provide accurate, relevant, and contextually appropriate information during the simulated service interaction.
Inaccurate Virtual Assistant Response
The virtual assistant will provide a predefined inaccurate or contextually inappropriate response during the simulated service interaction. The error will be standardized across participants assigned to this condition and will not concern medical, safety-related, or other high-risk information.
Locations (1)
Consumer Behavior Research Laboratory (LICCO), University of Malaga
Málaga, Spain