Talk or Text? The Role of Communication Modalities in the Adoption of a Non-directive, Goal-Attainment Coaching Chatbot.

This article examines how communication modality—voice versus text—affects user perceptions of a non-directive, goal-attainment coaching chatbot in terms of usability, performance expectancy, and risk perception, while also considering users' extraversion personality trait. In a between-group study with 393 participants, no overall usability difference was found between voice- and text-based chatbots; however, introverted users rated the voicebot as slightly easier to use, whereas extroverts showed no preference. All participants rated the textbot higher for performance expectancy, with no significant differences in perceived risk between modalities for any group. The findings suggest that chatbot designers might use voice interfaces to attract users through ease of use and text interfaces to support complex tasks, while customization based on extraversion appears unnecessary in this context.