ABSTRACT
Verbal commands are a powerful way to communicate to an airplane pilot that there is an imminent hazard, such as indicating terrain ahead and the need to “Pull up”. In cases were people are stressed or their focus is directed away from the device or its display, use voice prompts to provide rapid and clear audible guidance and feedback. Such voice commands can break through what might be a pre-existing condition of visual sensory overload. When voice prompt systems were first introduced into various products, a female voice was considered most attention-getting, presumably because the higher-pitched voice of a typical female would be more penetrating than the lower-pitched voice of a typical male. As such, the choice of a male or female voice should be determined based on the nature of background noise with regard to the pitch of the speaker’s voice and the potential for masking.
