Submitted by VIFF on May 25, 2007 - 4:13pm.
A key application for the Mobile VIFF project was the Interactive Voice Guide which is a VXML-based, fully dynamic IVR (Interactive Voice Response) film and event guide. Users can call a dedicated toll-free number and navigate the film guide and other festival information using voice commands and/or touch-tone control.
Essentially, the system provides a voice-driven front-end to the VIFF’s on-line database of festival films and events that allows users to quickly retrieve a wide variety of information using a combination of pre-recorded prompts and descriptions, and text-to-speech. It can be used from any phone, not just mobiles, although certain functions are clearly only applicable to mobile.
General system features:
• can be controlled using touch-tone and/or voice commands
• is dynamic in the sense that changes made to the back-end database are reflected immediately
• is available 24 hours a day and operates in an unattended mode
• allows the user to request that certain information be sent to them via text messages
• provides a simple, well-understood interface
It provides functions to:
• have the system send the user a text-message containing a link to the WAP guide
• access schedule by day
• access schedule by venue
• hear general film and program information (pre-recorded prompt file)
• vote for films (see my blog posting about the mobile voting system)
• retrieve general, pre-recorded and categorized festival information (rules, venue procedures and will-call, parking facilities, etc)
• hear schedule change information
• and other features
Simple and logical drill-down menus are provided to allow the user to navigate up and down hierarchies of information. For example, if you select the option to hear “Festival Schedule By Day”, the system responds with:
“Schedule By Day.
Make your selection at any time by pressing a digit or SAYING the option number:
ONE for today's schedule, TWO for Tomorrow's schedule, THREE To select another day.
