A talking avatar is a virtual human that mimics a user’s movements and speech. It is often used as a customer service assistant, a personal digital coach, or a companion for people who are homebound or sick. Talking avatars are also popular in video tutorials on software and devices. Many people rely on video tutorials to learn something instead of reading lengthy articles.
Talking avatars can be a great way to promote your business or website. They can add personality to your content and make your website more engaging. They can even be your salesperson. You can customize them to match your brand, so you can use them as your voice for your online store.
Studies have found that talking avatars can increase consumers’ perceptions of social presence and information credibility. The social cues afforded by the visual and audio components of an avatar can help reduce consumers’ uncertainty and ambiguity, which is critical in online e-commerce. In particular, the affable roles that talking avatars can play as friendly hosts and guides in a 3D virtual store have been shown to enhance consumers’ feelings of familiarity with the website.
To create a talking avatar, you will need to have a computer with a webcam and a good quality microphone. Then, you will need a software that allows you to animate the character and record an audio file. This software is usually called “lip syncing.” It matches the mouth movements of the avatar with the audio input, creating an animation that looks natural. For example, a tool known as CrazyTalk lets you design an avatar and synchronize its lips with the audio input, making the character’s speech appear realistic. talking avatar
