User Preferences for Auditory Device-driven Menu Navigation

A device-driven auditory menu interface that “pushes” the menu options to the user and requires minimal user input can be beneficial to users with both limited vision and input range. Presentation rate is important for auditory menus; they need to be slow enough for comprehension and responding, but fast enough to prevent frustration. User preferences for inter-item gap on an auditory device-driven cell phone menu were investigated. Participants (n=11) navigated a two-level auditory menu to target a randomly chosen item. Before each trial participants set the inter-item gap by manipulating a slider. Results showed a mean preference for .853 second inter-item gap in experimental trials, and a significant decrease in preferences between practice (15) and experimental (30) trials [t(10) = 4.28, p = .002]. Accuracy was 91.5% over all the trials. The findings indicate that it is feasible to design a limited-input cell phone with an auditory device-driven menu.