Talking avatar is a digital character that mimics a human face to speak for its user. It is often used to represent users in computer games and as a digital assistant in web applications. In the present study, we explore how non-interactive talking avatars affect perceptions of social presence, information credibility, website trust, and patronage intention by comparing it to the effects of interaction with an avatar in the same environment. Findings indicate that the presence of a non-interactive talking avatar adversely impacts the perceptions of these constructs for female participants but not male participants. This is mainly due to the fact that females have a greater propensity for detailed and analytical processing of information, whereas males tend to rely on heuristic information processing.
There are several tools available to create a talking avatar. One such tool is SitePal, which offers both 2D and 3D avatars that can be incorporated into websites to interact with visitors in a live way. Another is Living Actor, which is a software that provides an extensive library of animated characters to choose from. It also offers features like lip-syncing and dialogue construction between two or more different avatars. It is also available in a wide variety of languages, and it can be embedded in websites easily.
There is a free trial version of SitePal, but it has limited features. Another option is Vyond, which has a large library of characters to choose from and offers various customization options. However, it is not a free service and may be beyond the budget of some users. talking avatar
