Study
User-Centred DesignNew This WeekStrong effect

Perceived Humanness in Voice Assistants Boosts User Satisfaction and Purchase Intent

Designing voice assistants with anthropomorphic qualities, perceived autonomy, and encouraging user suspension of disbelief significantly enhances user satisfaction and drives purchase intent.

Journal of Global Information Management · 2025

01

Key Findings

  • 01Anthropomorphism, autonomy, and suspension of disbelief significantly enhance users' sense of control (SOC) and emotional investment (EI).
  • 02Sense of control (SOC) and emotional investment (EI) positively impact customer satisfaction and purchase intentions.
  • 03SOC and EI mediate the relationships between suspension of disbelief, autonomy, customer satisfaction, and purchase intentions.
02

Application

Design takeaway

Prioritize the emotional and psychological aspects of user interaction by imbuing voice assistants with relatable human-like characteristics to drive adoption and loyalty.

How to apply

When designing interactive systems, especially those with conversational interfaces, consider how to build rapport and trust through personality, responsiveness, and perceived intelligence.

Project actions

  • 01Consider how to give your design a personality that resonates with users.
  • 02Think about how users will 'suspend disbelief' and engage emotionally with your product.
03

Method & Evidence

AimTo investigate how the perceived humanness of smart voice assistants (SVAs), encompassing anthropomorphism, autonomy, and suspension of disbelief, influences user satisfaction and purchase intentions.
MethodQuantitative research using structural equation modeling.
ProcedureCollected data from 449 participants on their interactions with SVAs, focusing on perceived humanness, sense of control, emotional investment, satisfaction, and purchase intent. Analyzed relationships using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM).
Sample449 participants
ContextSmart Voice Assistants (SVAs) and consumer technology.

Variables

IV["Perceived humanness (anthropomorphism, autonomy, suspension of disbelief)"]
DV["User satisfaction","Purchase intention"]
CV["Sense of control (SOC)","Emotional investment (EI)"]
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Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

  • +Large sample size provides statistical power.
  • +Utilizes established psychological theories (Media Equation Theory, Parasocial Theory).

Limitations

The 'humanness' of a design can be subjective and vary greatly between individuals and cultures.

Reliability & validity

The use of PLS-SEM and established theoretical frameworks suggests good reliability and validity, though further triangulation with qualitative data could strengthen findings.

Think critically

To what extent can 'humanness' be artificially engineered, and are there ethical considerations in creating highly anthropomorphic AI?

05

Design Principles

"The perceived humanness of an interface is a significant factor in user satisfaction and adoption."

As technology becomes more integrated into daily life, understanding the psychological and emotional connections users form with intelligent systems is crucial. This research highlights that the 'humanness' of a product, beyond its functional utility, is a key driver of user acceptance and market success.

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What This Means for Your Design

If you make a voice assistant seem more like a person (friendly, independent, believable), people will like it more and want to buy it.

How to use in your project

  • 1.Use this research to justify design choices that focus on user emotion and personality, rather than just function.
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Add to My Project

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Quick Cite

(2025). Assessing How the “Humanness” of Smart Voice Assistants (SVAs) Drives Consumer Satisfaction and Purchase Intent. Journal of Global Information Management. https://doi.org/10.4018/jgim.386018 Retrieved from https://designdex.org/study/664d7c20-1ca2-4fe0-837a-d96d7a0ad626/perceived-humanness-in-voice-assistants-boosts-user-satisfaction-and-purchase-intent

Paragraph starter

This design project aims to enhance user satisfaction and purchase intent by incorporating principles of perceived humanness, as supported by research indicating that anthropomorphism, autonomy, and suspension of disbelief significantly improve user engagement and emotional investment in smart voice assistants.

09

Source

Journal of Global Information Management

Assessing How the “Humanness” of Smart Voice Assistants (SVAs) Drives Consumer Satisfaction and Purchase Intent

journal · 2025

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Questions about this research

What does the research say about perceived humanness in voice assistants boosts user satisfaction and purchase intent?
Prioritize the emotional and psychological aspects of user interaction by imbuing voice assistants with relatable human-like characteristics to drive adoption and loyalty. Evidence: Journal of Global Information Management (2025).
Why does "Perceived Humanness in Voice Assistants Boosts User Satisfaction and Purchase Intent" matter for design?
As technology becomes more integrated into daily life, understanding the psychological and emotional connections users form with intelligent systems is crucial. This research highlights that the 'humanness' of a product, beyond its functional utility, is a key driver of user acceptance and market success.
How can designers apply this research?
Prioritize the emotional and psychological aspects of user interaction by imbuing voice assistants with relatable human-like characteristics to drive adoption and loyalty.
What were the main findings?
Anthropomorphism, autonomy, and suspension of disbelief significantly enhance users' sense of control (SOC) and emotional investment (EI).. Sense of control (SOC) and emotional investment (EI) positively impact customer satisfaction and purchase intentions.. SOC and EI mediate the relationships between suspension of disbelief, autonomy, customer satisfaction, and purchase intentions.
What research method was used?
Quantitative research using structural equation modeling. with 449 participants.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2025 journal from Journal of Global Information Management.
What should I do differently in my next project?
When designing interactive systems, especially those with conversational interfaces, consider how to build rapport and trust through personality, responsiveness, and perceived intelligence.
What are the limitations?
The study's findings may be specific to the current generation of SVAs and user expectations, and may evolve with technological advancements. Cultural differences in perceptions of humanness were not deeply explored.
Is there evidence that voice assistants affects design outcomes?
Making voice assistants feel more human-like, giving them a sense of independence, and encouraging users to believe in their capabilities leads to users feeling more in control and emotionally connected, which in turn makes them happier with the product and more likely to buy it. As technology becomes more integrated i Source: Journal of Global Information Management (2025).
Where does this satisfaction purchase research apply?
Smart Voice Assistants (SVAs) and consumer technology. It sits within user-centred design research on designdex.org.

Related research topics

voice assistants design research · evidence on voice assistants · does voice assistants improve design outcomes · satisfaction purchase studies for designers · voice assistants and satisfaction purchase findings · user-centred design research evidence