MyEko: AI voice assistant for sustainable living

Three questions to the project team

What was the particular challenge of the project from a UX point of view?
This project faced several critical challenges when testing conversational quality. The primary goal was to evaluate how agreeableness and conscientiousness personality traits influenced the UX with the voice assistant. Users were required to follow scripted conversations to maintain consistency across testing sessions. This approach forces prescribed interactions while asking participants to evaluate the conversation quality. Future iterations should use diary studies to capture authentic conversational data over time. User research indicated a preference for mobile voice assistants over desktop. Technical limitations prevented combining an AI agent with a custom UI on mobile. This constraint necessitated a desktop-first approach.

What was your personal highlight in the development process? Was there an aha!-moment, was there a low point?
Finding relevant research on voice AI and conversational agents proved challenging. This project began in September 2024, when AI voice UX was still emerging. While numerous studies examined first-generation assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant, fewer explored new conversational experiences from OpenAI voice mode or Gemini. Kuhail et al.’s 2022 research marked a turning point, which inspired this project's focus on personality in AI interactions. The study used the Five-Factor Model to categorise personality into five traits: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. While Kuhail focused on text chatbots, this project extends their framework to voice.

Where do you see yourself and the project in the next five years?
Over the next five years, the aim is to launch Myeko as a consumer product across major app stores.
As the platform evolves, Myeko will collaborate with brands to build a robust ecosystem of sustainable products, positioning itself as the central hub for sustainable living.
It will also address recycling confusion, a widespread challenge many people face. The platform will integrate features that help users correctly identify how and where to recycle specific items. For example, while drinking glasses appear recyclable, they cannot be placed in glass recycling containers due to their different melting points. Myeko eliminates this guesswork, making sustainable choices accurate and effortless.