Web sites are failing visually impaired users - can the Speech Application SDK help?

re: Web sites are failing visually impaired users - can the Speech Application SDK help?

RichB — Wed, 14 Apr 2004 16:24:00 GMT

Surely the people most needing this feature are the same people who have the problem reading your blog in the first place :-)

re: Web sites are failing visually impaired users - can the Speech Application SDK help?

John Lawrence — Wed, 14 Apr 2004 16:32:00 GMT

Lol - Good point Rich - although I'm hoping any people interested in developing/publishing more accessible websites might also respond...

RE: Web sites are failing visually impaired users - can the Speech Application SDK help?

mearls@hotmail.com (Michael Earls) — Wed, 14 Apr 2004 18:26:00 GMT

I believe that making the browser plugin easier to download is critical to the adoption of speech-enabled web sites/web applications. In addition, I think we as an industry should work to make such a plugin compatible with all known devices used by the visually impaired.

The main reason behind this is that most developers (if not all) can see their website, so they're not aware that a problem even exists. Ask them to turn off their monitor and then access their website, maybe even fill out and submit a registration form while they're at it, and you'll see a lot more requests for a trimmed-down installer.

I also think it's important that Microsoft unbundle the runtime components of the SDK from the design-time components so that a developer can developer speech solutions regardless of their configuration (assuming at least Windows XP home edition). I've never had this issue, but I'm thinking that a developer who installs the SDK without IIS installed will not be able to successfully develop solutions.

I know it's not your responsibility to ensure that we write our code, but I think you'll get a better adoption rate if you make these technologies attractive to the programmer hobbyists (professional developers who write code in their spare time as a way to keep up with emerging technologies as well as non-professional programmers who enjoy writing code in their spare time because they miss it).

Once the hobbyists start working with it, you'll start to see it in open-source projects as well as everyday sites. Familiarity will breed confidence and more people will begin writing code for it.

You guys are handling the "top-down" approach to evangelism well, but I'd suggest that your "grass-roots" developers can assist you in a "bottom-up" approach (people like me, for instance).

I haven't yet written complex applications with these technologies, but I have been tracking your development since the release of the Microsoft Agent back in 1997. I've dabbled with the new stuff, but I ran into issues with XP home (I've since upgraded to Pro, but I haven't gotten to the part of my application that requires IVR/Speech).

Anyway, good job on the speech server. I look forward to working with these technologies in the future.

re: Web sites are failing visually impaired users - can the Speech Application SDK help?

Enrico — Tue, 20 Apr 2004 17:30:00 GMT

Right now i'm downloading 200MB sdkbeta3 just to get the speech add-in (and i've not a 10Mb connection!)....so yes, an easy web download is needed!

re: Web sites are failing visually impaired users - can the Speech Application SDK help?

Mahavir — Wed, 26 May 2004 08:48:00 GMT

downloading 200MB sdkbeta3 is kinda crazy thing to do :)

re: Web sites are failing visually impaired users - can the Speech Application SDK help?

casey chesnut — Wed, 28 Jul 2004 18:02:00 GMT

the Pocket PC Speech Add-in could use an easy download too ... instead of having to download Speech Server

John Lawrence MSFT Web sites are failing visually impaired users | Paid Surveys

John Lawrence MSFT Web sites are failing visually impaired users | Paid Surveys — Sat, 30 May 2009 02:57:49 GMT

PingBack from http://paidsurveyshub.info/story.php?title=john-lawrence-msft-web-sites-are-failing-visually-impaired-users