Emotional interfaces for interactive aardvarks

Abstract

Character-based social interfaces present a unique opportunity to integrate emotion into technology interactions. The present paper reports on the use of three emotional interactions (humor, praise, and affection) in the audio interfaces for two character-based interactive learning toys. The reasons for selecting the emotions used, the design rationale for their application, and findings from usability testing are reviewed. It is suggested that as a form of pretend play-acting akin to puppetry, social interfaces can engage the emotions of users in a variety of beneficial ways.