Increase productivity with voice recognition software
I’m talking to my computer right now. I’m speaking these words — rather than typing them — and watching them appear in my Word document.
I’m using a program called Dragon NaturallySpeaking, a voice recognition software program by Nuance. I bought a version of it last summer when I strained my wrists typing. Then, it was a necessity, and now it’s a convenience.
It’s a useful tool because Nuance claims that people type an average of 35 words a minute with only 58 percent accuracy, but speak 120 words per minute. The company’s Senior Vice President Peter Mahoney said, “When you type, the accuracy rate is abysmal because people get good at using the backspace key.”
If you type 35 or fewer words a minute, then an increase to 120 words would significantly improve productivity. If you’re already typing more than 100 words a minute, though, you may not notice such significant gains in speed.
Edit your work carefully, though. When the software is getting used to your voice and style, it may write something other than what you intended. For example, when you’re writing about rich, sweet, frozen, dairy products it may type, “I scream” instead of the correct “ice cream.” But, the more you use it and correct mistakes, the greater the accuracy.
It also scans for context. Mahoney said, “Dragon doesn’t understand what you’re saying but does understand the likelihood of words appearing near other words. It picks the appropriate word such as ‘over there’ not ‘over their.’” You can actively adapt Dragon to your writing style. Just point the software toward e-mails and reports you’ve written and let it analyze them. That allows Dragon to do a better job of knowing what words you tend to use, and can improve accuracy.
The Professional and Preferred editions include a feature called Voice Shortcuts. With Shortcuts, you can tell the program, “Search the web for Italian restaurants in Chicago,” and your default browser will open and start searching. You can also go to specific websites. For instance, you can say, “Search eBay for MP3 Player,” and it will search eBay.
While Windows Vista offers basic free voice recognition software built into the operating system, Dragon out-performs Vista with its speed.
Dragon requires some PC strength, so make sure your system meets the minimal specifications. On Amazon, you can find the standard version of the software for $54.99. Dragon is not available for Macs, but Nuance offers a similar program called Dictate. I’m not a regular user of Dictate, so I can’t speak to its performance.
Do you use Dragon NaturallySpeaking or another voice recognition software? Let us know about your experiences in the comments area.
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Posted by Sue on Mar 10, 2009 |
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31 comments posted
Posted by Gayle Bird - 03/10/2009
I didn’t realize voice recognition software had gotten so much cheaper! I type at 120 wpm and feel like a dork speaking into a headset or microphone, so this isn’t for me – but I can see how it would be useful. I recommend VR software to my students as a way to study.
Posted by redfood - 03/10/2009
MacSpeech Dictate licensed Dragon’s technology so it should be similar in terms of accuracy and speed.
Posted by Sherri (Serene Journey) - 03/10/2009
I’ve tried a couple different voice recognition software packages and have been very unhappy with them. Generally I found it took a long time to “train” the software to recognize my voice and even after the training the accuracy was way off. I tend to type fairly quickly to begin with, so I found myself getting really frustrated and actually spent a lot more time trying to get things just right with the voice recognition.
I’m sure the software has come a long way and it’s promising that you’ve had such a great experience with Dragon NaturallySpeaking. I haven’t tried this one but will look into it as an option based on your review. Thanks Sue!
Posted by Wroth - 03/10/2009
I use Dragon to generate notes and thoughts for my dissertation. I can be easier for me to try out thoughts in speech rather than in text, so if I’m stuck, or trying to work through an issue, I talk it first and then go in and pluck out the good stuff to refine it.
It’s not foolproof, but since I always have to go through and edit anyway (I am queen of typos), it works for me.
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Posted by Ed Eubanks - 03/10/2009
Voice recognition software can be useful for things beyond typical typing.
If you’re a mind-mapper, for instance, try using your voice-rec tool with a mind-mapping program in “rapid-entry” mode. It’s a lot faster to brainstorm via speaking rather than via typing, unless you’re a crazy-fast typist.
Another way I’ve used it is while reading (or after): when I encounter a paragraph that I want to duplicate into a database of quoted text, I either mark it (if I’m away from my computer) or enter it right then, by simply reading the chosen paragraph into a text editor/word processor. These can be saved for quick reference in a database like DevonThink.
You can also use them to control your computer; this is seldom faster than simply using the mouse, unless you set up an elaborate set of scripts and macros– but IF you bother to do this, you might find that your computer time is suprisingly efficient.
Posted by Sheryl - 03/10/2009
My husband is dyslexic and uses Dragon all the time; he would have a very hard time functioning on the computer without it.
The newest version (we have the Preferred) now has a very short learning curve as far as training the software goes – it’s come a long, long way from the version we first bought back in 2000.
Posted by JOHN BRESLIN - 03/10/2009
I TRIED DRAGON STILL HAVE IT BUT ITS OLD AND MAN I CAN TYPE FASTER CAUSE OF THE ERRORS IT MAKES..
? IS THE LATEST DRAGON IMPROVED?
HOW MUCH?
COST?
TRADE IN?
I HAVE POST POLIO AND WOULD LIKE TO WRITE A BOOK YES I CAN TALK FASTER THAN I CAN TYPE. MY ENERGY RUN OUT TYPING
Posted by Kate - 03/10/2009
I had Dragon, and found it almost completely useless. It says you can train it for different accents but if how you speak is too different from a fairly generic American accent it really is more hassle than it’s worth. My mongrel deep-south-Kiwi/Aussie/bitsaYank accent took hours and hours and hours to train into it and even then it was very inaccurate because like a lot of country-hopping expats, my accent will change depending on what I’m talking about – you don’t talk about the Yankees in a Kiwi accent, you don’t talk about the cricket in high-Yankee!
My American partner had much less trouble with the programme.
Posted by Peter (a different one) - 03/10/2009
@Kate – just reading your post, I’d love to hear your accent : )
Because, you know of course, I don’t have one! LOL!!!
Posted by Mletta - 03/10/2009
Tried this type of software before. Too many issues to make it viable alternative for daily use.
I type 85 words a minute (any faster and it doesn’t matter as you can’t input onto the keyboard anyway), so not so essential for speed.
But this kind of software is a big boon for people with repetitive injuries and vulnerable hands, for example. So I hope it improves. Because my hands often hurt after days on the keyboard.
Posted by Fem - 03/10/2009
I use dragon as well, because I have a connective tissue disorder and cannot type for longer than a good 30 minutes at a time (and the faster I type, the more joints I dislocate).
I specifically like the fact that the preferred version has different languages built in, so that I can use it in English for my study in finance, in German for my study in German, and Dutch for all personal things.
But it does have a really long learning period for Dutch, especially compared to English and German. I always assumed I had a pretty neutral accent in Dutch, so I guess that there is more accent variation built in for the “larger” languages.
I hardly use it online, btw, it tends to react differently to each different web site, and sometimes misses reaction screens, or skips spaces, or will not correct words when they are misheard. So any mistakes in this reaction are fully to blame on me
Posted by David Turnbull - 03/10/2009
I tried Dragon a few years back but I’m not much of a speaker in general so the program had a hard time figuring out what I was saying. Since then I’ve become a very fast typist however, and even though I make plenty of mistakes I can still get between 60-100 words per minute, so it’s no big deal.
Posted by ChristineB - 03/10/2009
I’m a speech/language pathologist, and all my experience with Dragon Dictate has been with people who have physical disabilities. When I was in college, a student with cerebral palsy edited the entire student paper using Dragon Dictate, and it wasn’t any where as good as it is now. This has been fantastic software for some people with disabilities.
Posted by Unclutterer » Archive » Increase productivity with voice b…/b | Software Downloads - 03/11/2009
[...] Original post: Unclutterer » Archive » Increase fecundity with vocalise b…/b [...]
Posted by Tim at Home Document Manager - 03/11/2009
I think the problem comes because Dragon will not typically make spelling mistakes, rather word mistakes. It’s surprising how hard these mistakes are to spot when proof reading a document – it’s a lot easier to spot simple typos.
Posted by Library Lady - 03/11/2009
This sounds interesting, especially if it can be used by people with various physical limitations. I work at a library with inadequate services for disabled and wonder if any blind people use it. I’d like to see our library expand its services and provide a study room set up with a variety of different useful programs such as this. Anyone out there use it at a school or university?
Posted by Sue - 03/11/2009
@John – The list price is $99, but as I mentioned: “On Amazon, you can find the standard version of the software for $54.99.” I used an earlier version in 2001 before it was owned by Nuance and I can attest that, yes, it is greatly improved in the areas of accuracy and speed. Plus it takes a fraction of the time to train the sw now. Good luck.
Sue Brenner
Unclutterer
Posted by Sherril Johnson - 03/11/2009
I have some physical disabilities and started using DNS a couple of years ago. I was slowing building up my user profile when all of a sudden I was getting this error message “THE VOCABULARY YOU HAVE CHOSEN GENERAL-LARGE IS INCOMPATIBLE/INVALID.” A bunch of headache and research later I found out that:
“It is well known for many years and across many versions of Dragon Naturally Speaking that running a Windows system restore will corrupt a user training profile.
There are two solutions:
1. Find and restore a backup of your user training files.
2. Create a new user training profile.”
From http://www.speechcomputing.com/node/1742
I hadn’t given a thought to backing up my user profile. Seems like that should be something automatic that the software would do.
Other than that MAJOR problem, I like the software a lot.
Posted by Mark - Productivity501 - 03/12/2009
It sounds like voice recognition has improved quite a bit since I last tried it.
If I remember correctly, iListen was replaced by Dictate. Dictate is supposed to use the same technology as Dragon Naturally Speaking so the performance should (in theory) be about the same.
Posted by Stephanie - 03/12/2009
I am a court reporter and have been using Via Voice (similar to Dragon) for close to two years. It certainly did take some time to train, but I am very pleased with my accuracy and recognition. I am repeating EVERYTHING said in hearings, depositions, etc., often with fast-talking lawyers and bickering attorneys. I speak into a “mask” so that others don’t hear me repeating and even at a whisper, with speed-talkers going 200 to 250 wpm, I now have about 90% accuracy.
Posted by Jesse - 03/13/2009
I just hopped over to typingtest.com and checked out my typing speed at it was 91 wpm. I think that’s a lie.
Wow, this sounds like spam, but it’s not.
I’m definitely interested in checking out the software, but I have a Mac. I’ll try out the Dictate and see how it runs. Thanks for the suggestion.
Posted by Clemens - 03/13/2009
“Dragon out-performs Vista with its speed”
Can’t confirm that. Had dragon before and now I’m just using Vista. Quality of the output and speed seems to be the same, but you get it for free with Vista!
Posted by Marc - 03/13/2009
I have used Dragon for about 3 prior versions. DNS V10 is the best. I purchased the upgrade with the Plantronic wireless microphone (over the ear) I’m a dinosaur and do not type well so I use the program often. I agree with others to correct misspelled or misused words and be sure to re-read your dictation as bizarre word combos will sometimes appear. What I found most important in using the program is the quality of the microphone. Before the Plantronics I used a Phillips UBS SpeechMike. It was costly but I noticed an immediate improvement in accuracy. Take the jump. Its much better than prior versions. BTW I don’t work for Nuance.
Posted by Kim Patch - 03/26/2009
I’d love to know what people think about Utter Command — it’s a command system and set of applets for NaturallySpeaking that speeds up speech command-and-control — moving and sizing Windows, going to folders, files, websites, mousing, commandline etc. The company was started by people with repetitive strain injuries. There’s a lot of information at http://www.redstartsystems.com including videos. We’re also looking for trainers and people who are willing to give us lots of feedback in exchange for training.
Posted by Voice Recognition « The Haitian Queen - 03/26/2009
[...] by Microsoft Vista’s voice recognition program. I first got the idea from an entry in the Unclutterer blog. The author was talking about the Dragon NaturallySpeaking speech recognition program. It was too [...]
Posted by Dunsel - 04/06/2009
I have Dragon NaturallySpeaking, preferred version 9.1, and I have to tell you this is one of the worst pieces of software of any type that I’ve ever used. It needs to be shut down eight or 10 times a day, when recognition suddenly goes completely haywire, and on those occasions there is always a shutdown error. It frequently makes errors when selecting, as well. It will either select words offset one letter to the right, or the select occurs momentarily and then ceases.
On some of these occasions editing is still possible, on most it is not. There are also silent crashes that generally occur at least once or twice a day. I was forced into using the software because of repetitive motion syndrome (carpal tunnel, specifically) caused by excessive typing required by my job, but as a touch typist, I can tell you that I cannot imagine anyone who has typing skills preferring to use this. I’m considering having surgery on my wrists just to get this accursed program out of my life forever.
Posted by Dunsel - 04/09/2009
OK, version 10 installed, similar problems as version 9. Also a few new ones. The correction menu was coming up and disappearing immediately. It required a reboot, but I’m sure it’s going to begin at some point again.
The selection issues and occasional shutdown errors still continue in this version. Nuance actually very apropos name for this company. They might get the little things right, but the larger ones are a disaster.
Posted by surftype - 04/16/2009
Thanks, Dunsel for the information.
I have Dragon 9 and was about to purchase 10 as I understand you can dictate into a sony recorder, hook the recorder up to your computer and then Dragon 10 will automatically print out the words in a document as if you were sitting there dictating live. I too stopped using 9 as I can type faster and too much time was wasted making corrections.
Hopefully Nuance will have some fixes available for any repetitive problems you have.
Posted by Kendra - 06/02/2009
I am an educator and consultant in the area of assistive technology. You might want to also check out WordQ/SpeakQ. WordQ is a word prediction program with in-context word prediction and a readback feature. SpeakQ is voice recognition software. It is simple to train SpeakQ as the passage is read to you (important for those with reading difficulties, LD/Dyslexia). Another thing that I like about the program is it eliminates the frustration that often comes with the use of voice commands. For many people these voice commands interfer with their memory making it more difficult to remember what they wanted to say. Like Dragon SpeakQ will put whatever you say on to your page (Speak Continuously) but a feature I like, for those new to speech recognition or for those with written language difficulties, is SpeakQ puts whatever you say into WordQ’s word prediction box (Speak and Select). Nothing goes on your page only suggestions (depending on how clearly you speak) of what you said. You can then listen to each choice and select the correct one or try again without having to erase the error from your page. Go to http://www.wordq.com for a free download.
Posted by Craig - 06/06/2009
Good gosh it’s about time this technology started to work. I’m about ready to jump into it, having poor typing skills and a loud mouth, and I finally got a new iMac, so the big question now is—- how is the Dictate? Any one care to share before I dish out $200?
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