title: Searching information with a natural language dialogue system: a comparison of spoken vs. written modalities.
abstract: This paper examines the effects of spoken vs. written dialogue modalities on the effectiveness of information search with a computerized retrieval system. Forty-eight adults familiar with the use of computers were asked to carry out six information retrieval tasks, engaging with the system using either spoken or written communication. The written modality was more efficient with regard to the number of dialogue turns, length of interaction with the system and mental workload. Even though the turns lasted longer in the written mode, they appeared to yield less mental workload. Moreover, spoken and written dialogues did not differ as regards the use of pronouns and articles. The implications for the development of natural-language dialogue systems are discussed.
authors.affiliation: France Telecom Research and Development, 2 Avenue Pierre Marzin, 22307 Lannion Cedex. ludovic.lebigot@francetelecom.com
authors.forename: Ludovic
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Le Bigot
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jamet
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Rouet
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D006801:Humans; D007256:Information Systems; D007802:Language; D009323:Natural Language Processing; D014956:Writing