5 Ways Voice Tech Is Changing Our Lives
From Amazon’s Alexa to Apple’s Siri, voice assistants have quickly become a major part of the lives of many consumers.
You can use your voice assistant to set reminders to pay bills, read you the weather each morning, and catch you up on the important news of the day.
But beyond the simple little things these voice assistants can do, this growing technology is broadening more and more to prove an integral, important part of our daily lives.
Here are 5 ways voice technology is changing our lives for the better:
Learn New Skills
Do you struggle in the kitchen, with every recipe falling flat or, somehow, getting burnt? Your voice assistant can help!
Amazon’s Alexa has a wide variety of useful skills that it can use to teach you all sorts of things, including:
Language learning- Cooking
- wikiHow (Offering a wide range of skills to learn)
- Vocabulary
- Laundry
You could read a book or watch YouTube videos, or even take a whole class, to learn some of these skills, but making good use of the voice assistant hanging around your house or in your pocket means you can take that learning on the go.
Stay Stocked up
Forgetting to buy more toilet paper or laundry detergent is a pain, especially if you run out at a time when it’s most inconvenient to go to the store.
With the help of your voice assistant, you may never have to run out of certain staple products again.
As soon as you see that you’ve only got one roll of toilet paper left in the closet, you can ask your voice assistant to add that item to your shopping list or even directly order it online for quick delivery to your house.
The same goes for any other items you may need to purchase, from more light bulbs to a new cookie sheet. Rather than stopping what you’re doing to write the item down or look it up - and risk forgetting where you’ve put your list when it’s time to go to the store - just ask your voice assistant to do the remembering for you and the item can show up on your doorstep a few days later.
Stay Healthy
Life is busy, and sometimes stressors and their effects can sneak up on you. Work, kids, housework, and finances can pile up and leave you feeling like you just can’t function.
Thanks to special skills some voice assistants have, you can have access to a guided calming tool for those times when it all just becomes too much.
Skills such as Mindscape begin by guiding you through breathing exercises to help bring your heart rate down, then ask a series of questions. Based on your answers, you may be asked more questions or given further instructions.
Because these apps are voice-based instead of on your smartphone, you aren’t going to run the risk of using them and then scrolling Facebook, reading the news, or doing another activity that may momentarily be distracting, but can lead you to feel worse overall.
Get Access
Although awareness of the challenges individuals with disabilities face has increased, there is still a lot of room for improvement.
Many websites, for example, still aren’t friendly for those with vision impairments. This makes things such as getting the news, looking up specific information, or getting directions to a new restaurant difficult.
With the push toward voice technology, more and more websites are becoming optimized for voice search, giving those with disabilities better access to the information they need.
Bust Loneliness
As people age, they naturally begin to lose large chunks of their social circles, which can lead to loneliness.
But with increased loneliness can come a higher risk for depression, dementia, and other health issues. Maintaining social connectivity has been shown to boost brain power and lead to better overall health.
Enter voice assistants. This technology allows seniors - and anyone else feeling lonely - to ask for a joke, listen to a song, or get a piece of trivia information, all from a friendly sounding voice. Not only that, but smart speakers can give reminders for things that some people may struggle with remembering, such as taking medications, getting to doctor appointments, or when there’s food in the oven.
In some areas, seniors in group housing have been given smart speakers in an effort to study the outcomes on their mental and physical health, with encouraging early results.
People-First Technology for Modern Living
At @Assist, we believe that technology is only as good as the people it’s made to serve. If a piece of tech is developed for bells and whistles first and usability second, it won't be successful.
That’s why we’ve developed our suite of applications - used by everyone from small business owners to municipal leaders looking to make their cities smarter - with a people-first mentality. All applications are cloud-based and easy to use, so you can just sign in and begin using them. Learn more about @Assist today!
