In-vehicle multi-personality voice interaction: insights from Chinese automotive market on how dynamic personality influences driver affect and user experience

This study examines dynamic personality for in-vehicle voice assistants (IVVAs), addressing a gap in research dominated by fixed assistant personality. Through field investigation of 14 vehicle brands in the Chinese market and a literature review to developed a dynamic personality framework for eight representative in-vehicle tasks. A 2 (personality: dynamic vs. fixed) × 2 (scenario: commuting vs. travel) mixed-design experiment was conducted with 32 participants. The Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) and the User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ) assessed the effects of assistant personality on driver affect and user experience in autonomous driving. Results showed that compared to fixed personality, dynamic personality significantly improved drivers’ pleasure, arousal and dominance across both scenarios. In terms of user experience, dynamic personality enhanced perceived attractiveness, stimulation and novelty but led to lower ratings in perspicuity, efficiency and dependability. These findings highlight the importance of dynamical personality in improving driver affect and optimising the in-vehicle user experience.