6.5 Conclusion

VUI users know that the prompts they are hearing are only recordings. Some users even know something about speech recognition software, IVR platforms and networks, and backend integration. But even these tech-savvy users are "programmed" to infer mental images from the voices and linguistic choices they encounter. Designers therefore need to be "in control of the image that their application projects so that users will favorably assess the company's brand, values, and support of them as customers."^[2] Whether or not you have planned for it, your application's persona is an expression or statement of an image. Don't leave users' perceptions of your application, and therefore of the company, to chance.

^[2] Margaret Urban, personal communication.