Can I Talk to You about Your Social Needs? Understanding Preference for Conversational User Interface in Health

Conversational User Interfaces (CUI) are becoming increasingly utilized in Health applications due to their ability to engage patients and support clinical workflows. Yet recent reviews show that our understanding of CUI performance and user preferences towards them is still lacking. This work examines factors that explain people’s preference for engaging with a social needs screening CUI in a clinical context with 41 emergency department visitors. We demonstrate that people with low health literacy and high attitude towards emotional interaction (AEI) prefer responding to questions via CUI rather than a form-based survey. Specifically, participants with low health literacy appreciate the improved understandability offered by the CUI, whereas participants with high AEI appreciate the added level of engagement offered through conversational interactions. Our work advances the understanding of the benefits of CUI for different user groups in health contexts and beyond.