Enhancements to Online Help: Adaptivity and Embodied Conversational Agents

We present and discuss the results of two empirical studies that aim at assessing the contributions, to the effectiveness and efficiency of online help of: adaptive-proactive user support (APH), multimodal (speech and graphics) messages (MH), and embodied conversational agents (ECAs). These three enhancements to online help were implemented using the Wizard of Oz technique. The first study (E1) compares MH with APH, while the second study (E2) compares MH with embodied help (EH). Half of the participants in E1 (8) used MH, and the other half used APH. Most participants who used MH, resp. APH, preferred MH, resp. APH, to standard help systems which implement text and graphics messages (like APH). In particular, proactive assistance was much appreciated. However, higher performances were achieved with MH. A majority of the 22 participants in E2 preferred EH to MH, and were of the opinion that the presence of an ECA, a talking head in this particular case, has the potential to improve help effectiveness and efficiency by increasing novice users’ self confidence. However, performances with the two systems were similar, save for help consultation rate which was higher with EH. Longitudinal (usage) studies are needed to confirm the effects of these three enhancements on novice users’ judgments and performances.