Multiple Information Communication in Voice-based Interaction Muhammad Abu ul Fazal ( ) and Muhammad Shuaib Karim Department of Computer Sciences Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan fazalsidhu@yahoo.com,skarim@qau.edu.pk Abstract. Ubiquitous Computing has enabled users to perform their computer activities anytime, anyplace, anywhere while performing other routine activi- ties. Voice-based interaction often plays a significant role to make this possi- ble. Presently, in voice-based interaction system communicates information to the user sequentially whereas users are capable of noticing, listening and com- prehending multiple voices simultaneously. Therefore, providing information se- quentially to the users may not be an ideal approach. There is a need to develop a design strategy in which information could be communicated to the users through multiple channels. In this paper, a design possibility has been investigated that how information could be communicated simultaneously in voice-based inter- action so that users could fulfil their growing information needs and ultimately complete multiple tasks at hand efficiently. Keywords: Voice-based Interaction, Multiple Information Broadcast, Multiple Voices, Information Design 1 Introduction In this information age which is highly influenced by technology, people have many computing devices and associated interaction modes to fulfill information needs and perform desired tasks conveniently from anywhere [1]. For example, mobile telephony has become an essential tool [2] that humans carry with them almost all the time. It is playing a significant role to access information on the go by either interacting visually or by using voice-based interaction. A voice-based interaction is a mode where users are provided with the facility to interact with the system using ’voice’. The motivation of using voice to interact with the system is an old concept which can be associated with Ali Baba’s ’Open Sesame’ and earlier science fiction movies. The voice-based interaction method enables the user to interact with the system in im- mersive environment [3]. Voice User Interfaces (VUI)s are user interfaces using speech input through a speech recognizer and speech output through speech synthesis or pre- recorded audio [4]. The voice-based interaction enables users to conveniently interact with the system in the hand busy or the eye busy environment. This mode is also an alternative for the visually impaired users to interact with systems. According to world health organization [5], it is estimated that there are 285 million people who have visual impairments.