Designing immersive audio experiences for news and information in the internet of things using text-to-speech objects

Abstract

The use of personal Internet-enabled objects is on the rise. The use of voice interactions and audio-based delivery of content are the preferred approach for these screen-less objects. In terms of the news industry, Text-To-Speech (TTS) is an obvious choice for repurposing readily available written articles of text for such platforms. Currently through flash briefing skills on services such as Amazon Echo, news publishers are seeking innovative new ways to distribute their content to new audiences. This paper continues the research of NewsThings and uses one of its prototypes, RadioThing, to evidence the problems that are currently present in TTS, how these challenges affect publishers and outlines seven recommendations when designing TTS objects for news and information content. These recommendations are suggested to improve the authenticity, immersion and production of audio-based journalism. Consequently, prompting the use of TTS as a viable form of media for local and regional news organisations.