Article

Why People Use Chatbots

Authors:

Petter Bae Brandtzaeg,

Asbjørn FølstadAuthors Info & Claims

Internet Science: 4th International Conference, INSCI 2017, Thessaloniki, Greece, November 22-24, 2017, Proceedings

Pages 377 - 392

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70284-1_30

Published: 22 November 2017 Publication History

Abstract

There is a growing interest in chatbots, which are machine agents serving as natural language user interfaces for data and service providers. However, no studies have empirically investigated people’s motivations for using chatbots. In this study, an online questionnaire asked chatbot users (N = 146, aged 16–55 years) from the US to report their reasons for using chatbots. The study identifies key motivational factors driving chatbot use. The most frequently reported motivational factor is “productivity”; chatbots help users to obtain timely and efficient assistance or information. Chatbot users also reported motivations pertaining to entertainment, social and relational factors, and curiosity about what they view as a novel phenomenon. The findings are discussed in terms of the uses and gratifications theory, and they provide insight into why people choose to interact with automated agents online. The findings can help developers facilitate better human–chatbot interaction experiences in the future. Possible design guidelines are suggested, reflecting different chatbot user motivations.

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de Moraes JSilva GCanedo E(2024)Towards Enabling Inclusive Conversations: Bridging Accessibility Gaps for the Visually Impaired in a Chatbot Web ChatProceedings of the XXIII Brazilian Symposium on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3702038.3702110(1-11)Online publication date: 7-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3702038.3702110
Silva GCanedo E(2024)Human Factors in the Design of Chatbot Interactions: Conversational Design PracticesProceedings of the XXIII Brazilian Symposium on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3702038.3702083(1-12)Online publication date: 7-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3702038.3702083
Følstad ALaw Evan As N(2024)Conversational Breakdown in a Customer Service Chatbot: Impact of Task Order and Criticality on User Trust and EmotionACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction10.1145/369038331:5(1-52)Online publication date: 3-Sep-2024
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Information & Contributors

Information

Published In

cover image Guide Proceedings

Internet Science: 4th International Conference, INSCI 2017, Thessaloniki, Greece, November 22-24, 2017, Proceedings

Nov 2017

444 pages

ISBN:978-3-319-70283-4

DOI:10.1007/978-3-319-70284-1

Editors:
Ioannis Kompatsiaris
CERTH, Information Technologies Institute, Thessaloniki, Greece
,
Jonathan Cave
University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
,
Anna Satsiou
CERTH, Information Technologies Institute, Thessaloniki, Greece
,
Georg Carle
Technical University Munich, Garching, Germany
,
Antonella Passani
T6 Ecosystems, Rome, Italy
,
Efstratios Kontopoulos
CERTH, Information Technologies Institute, Thessaloniki, Greece
,
Sotiris Diplaris
CERTH, Information Technologies Institute, Thessaloniki, Greece
,
Donald McMillan
Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

© Springer International Publishing AG 2017.

Publisher

Springer-Verlag

Berlin, Heidelberg

Publication History

Published: 22 November 2017

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Cited By

de Moraes JSilva GCanedo E(2024)Towards Enabling Inclusive Conversations: Bridging Accessibility Gaps for the Visually Impaired in a Chatbot Web ChatProceedings of the XXIII Brazilian Symposium on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3702038.3702110(1-11)Online publication date: 7-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3702038.3702110
Silva GCanedo E(2024)Human Factors in the Design of Chatbot Interactions: Conversational Design PracticesProceedings of the XXIII Brazilian Symposium on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3702038.3702083(1-12)Online publication date: 7-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3702038.3702083
Følstad ALaw Evan As N(2024)Conversational Breakdown in a Customer Service Chatbot: Impact of Task Order and Criticality on User Trust and EmotionACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction10.1145/369038331:5(1-52)Online publication date: 3-Sep-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3690383
Joshi RBengler K(2024)Crafting Human-AI Interaction: A Rhetorical Approach to Adaptive Interaction in Conversational AgentsProceedings of the 12th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction10.1145/3687272.3688297(314-322)Online publication date: 24-Nov-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3687272.3688297
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Contreras Aguilar DMedina FOyanedel MSalamó MSànchez-Marrè M(2024)SAMANTHA: A chatbot to assist users in training tasks to prevent workplace hazardsProceedings of the XXIV International Conference on Human Computer Interaction10.1145/3657242.3658587(1-8)Online publication date: 19-Jun-2024
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Félix BBraga CNtinga XTill SMeoli LVan Heerden AMelo RVerdezoto NDensmore MNunes F(2024)Understanding How Parents Deal With the Health Advice They Receive: A Qualitative Study and Implications for the Design of Message-based Health Dissemination Systems for Child HealthProceedings of the 2024 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference10.1145/3643834.3661504(1319-1335)Online publication date: 1-Jul-2024
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Sarkar SBabar MHassan MHasan MKarmaker Santu SBalsamo SKnottenbelt WAbad CShang W(2024)Processing Natural Language on Embedded Devices: How Well Do Modern Models Perform?Proceedings of the 15th ACM/SPEC International Conference on Performance Engineering10.1145/3629526.3645054(211-222)Online publication date: 7-May-2024
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Olapade MHasanli TOttun AAkintola ALiyanage MFlores H(2024)Pervasive Chatbots: Investigating Chatbot Interventions for Multi-Device ApplicationsProceedings of the 32nd ACM Conference on User Modeling, Adaptation and Personalization10.1145/3627043.3659570(290-300)Online publication date: 22-Jun-2024
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