Effects of a Voice Assistant's Gender-Identity on the Fulfillment of Basic Psychological Needs

Abstract

Building on the frameworks of the Basic Psychological Needs Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model, this study examines how the perceived gender of a digital voice assistant (VA) influences users‘ perception of basic psychological need (BPN) fulfillment and their intention to use (ITU) a voice-based system. In a between- subjects experimental design, participants (n=83) were presented a fictional finance voice assistant displaying either a clearly feminine, or a gender-ambiguous voice. Results showed that overall BPN fulfillment and competence satisfaction were significantly higher among participants in the female-voiced condition, while ITU, autonomy satisfaction, and relatedness satisfaction did not differ significantly between the conditions. Additionally, BPN fulfillment was strongly positively correlated with ITU. Furthermore, male participants reported significantly higher Affinity for Technology Interaction (ATI) than female participants, though ATI did not significantly correlate with any dependent variables. These findings highlight both, the potential and the limitations of gender-ambiguous voice design as a strategy to reduce gender bias in human-VA interaction, without significantly comprimising user engagement. This study further emphasizes the importance of considering basic psychological need satisfaction in the context of shaping and evaluating user experience