Navigating Gender Influences in Avatar-Based Communication

This study investigates the effects of both operator and avatar gender on the perceived ease of communication and creepiness of the avatars. Utilizing a mixed-methods 2 by 2 approach (male operator, female operator; male avatar, female avatar), we conducted an experiment involving 148 participants. The results indicate significant variations in perceived avatar impressions influenced by the gender alignment between the operator and the avatar. Specifically, female-operator-female-avatar group rated as the easiest to talk to, most interesting and least in the creepiness metric. These results suggest that for low-friction conversational encounters using female-operator-female-avatars might be most suitable.