Clash of the Titans: A User Experience Comparison of Amazon, Apple, and Google Smart Home Technology

Users' experiences are critical to understanding people's reactions to smart home technology (SHT). Moreover, comparing users' experiences with differing SHT usefully situates those technologies in the context of their competitors. To that end, we compare the brand "titans" of SHT in a controlled, laboratory-based comparative usability study. Forty-nine participants engaged in 21 identical tasks in three "living room" labs—an Amazon room, Apple room, and Google room—each set up with a system of connected SHT devices. Analysis of qualitative and quantitative data shows that, generally, Apple was preferred most overall, followed by Google, then Amazon; however, voice interaction with Apple's Siri was rated lower than the other two. Hubs were generally dispreferred, compared to using voice commands or phone apps, though participants also criticized voice command functionality and app interfaces. The primary themes that emerged as most important for users' evaluations included their prior experience with devices' brand, user friendliness, the layout of device interfaces, and the quality of virtual assistants' functionality.