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“Bitchin’ Betty” Says Farewell: Beloved Voice Behind Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet Retires

Boeing

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Beginner. No background in the topic needed.

2M views10 years ago1 recommendation

Software designEmbedded systems

A short look at the history and design of the F/A-18 cockpit voice warning system, nicknamed Bitchin' Betty, and its voice actor's retirement.

Stern. Sharp. Bossy. All have been used to describe the voice of the Boeing F/A-18’s cockpit warning system. The pilots and technicians refer to the voice as "Bitchin’ Betty," a time-honored tradition that is also potentially life-saving.

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1 person recommends this

What people say. Recommended as a fascinating case study in human factors, UX design, and how voice alerts are engineered to get immediate attention.

dfsegoaton Hacker News • Recommends

On “An Alarm Designer on How to Annoy People in the Most Effective Ways”

Along these same lines, one of my favorite examples of this type of work (human factors related to attention/alerting) is "Bitchin' Betty" and company - the female voice that makes up the "oral alert system" from the F/A-18 superhornet: link to this video A lot of research went into everything from the gender to the tone of the voice so that pilots would know to immediately pay attention to the warning system above everything else. 0 - link
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sandworm101on Hacker News • Mentions

On “Go Ahead and Date Your Digital Assistant”

There is some science behind this. Studies have shown that people, both men and women, react differently to a female voice. Sometimes that reaction can make a real difference. link to this video
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iwillbeniceon Hacker News • Mentions

On ““Women are wonderful” effect”

Not just the USSR! The UK and US did the same too! For more info: link link to this video My personal opinion is the "Bitching Betty" voice with its crisp instructions and authoritative tone makes us subliminally think of our mother giving us guidance or reprimand at an early age. It is a great design; it has saved a TON of pilot lives who otherwise would have accidentally perished.
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