Blog

Voice recognition can seem like a strange technology to use, especially if you've never spoken to a computer before. 

However, once you've got it set up and running correctly, you'll likely never want to go back to standard typing and mouse controls.

How to use Dragon software

Before you can get the most out of voice recognition software, there are a few useful things to learn. These can help you to use the software effectively and speed up the dictation process.

1. It's important to train the program

This may seem a little strange to some, but voice recognition software needs to be trained in order to ensure accuracy. As every human has a different way of speaking, training the software to your voice will allow it to better understand you. What's more, with ongoing practice it only becomes more fluid.

2. Take time to set it up for your environment

With so many accents and background noises (cars, printers, etc) Dragon software creates what's called a user profile – designed for the environment it's used in.

This similar to the above point, but it means that the software is set up where it's used – whether this is an office or at home. With a user profile, Dragon can better eliminate other sources of noise that aren't your voice.

3. You need to state punctuation

It's going to seem strange to start saying 'full stop' and 'question mark' after dictating a sentence, but it will soon become second nature. But why do you have to do this?

The short answer is that current voice recognition software isn't like what you'll see in a science-fiction film – this is real technology that's still developing. Currently, Dragon can't understand context from voice – only from the words you've spoken.

Dragon software is quite advanced, and it's easy to master with practice. In fact, by training the program and using it frequently, you could soon replace typing entirely.

The post A brief guide to using Dragon voice recognition software appeared first on Speech Recognition Blog.