Understanding and Enhancing Human-Voice Assistant Collaboration: Developing and Validating a Collaboration Intensity Scale

The collaboration between humans and voice assistants (VAs) is increasingly relevant in both professional and everyday contexts. However, valid measures to capture users’ behavioral contributions to this collaboration are lacking. This study introduces a behavior-based scale to measure collaboration intensity—the extent to which users engage effectively and productively with VAs in collaborative tasks. Two surveys (N1 = 319; N2 = 321) and Item Response Theory were used to develop and validate a 30-item scale with high reliability (EAP = .79/.88) and good item fit, alongside a 12-item short version (EAP = .77). Construct validation showed positive correlations with technology acceptance and negative correlations with commitment to informational self-determination. The scale also demonstrated predictive validity and an association with extraversion. The Collaboration Intensity Scale offers researchers and practitioners a tool to assess and enhance human–VA collaboration by identifying behavioral patterns and informing the design of more effective VA features.