Designing Effective Speech Interfaces

It's not just a far-fetched gizmo straight out of a sci-fi movie anymore. Speech interface technology, which allows a user to communicate with computers via voice instead of a keyboard or a mouse, is quickly becoming a main feature in new software. This straightforward guide provides traditional graphical user-interface designers, developers, usability engineers, and product managers with all the information they need to make a rapid transition in order to stay abreast of this monumental shift in technology.

Weinschenk and Barker, two experts in state-of-the-art online communication, discuss the basics of speech interfaces and speech technology, hardware, and software. They clearly explain the interface design principles that are applied to S/GUI and AUI interfaces and describe the latest practices of leading experts.

In addition to its in-depth look at speech technologies and the different types of user interfaces, this book:
* Provides an overview of the field of human factors and defines the basic concepts of human computer interaction
* Discusses the current state of speech technology applications
* Explains the laws of human factors that apply to speech interfaces
* Contains guidelines and examples for user control, human limitation, model integrity, accommodation, clear dialogue, and aesthetic integrity
* Details the best practices in interface design and usability engineering
* Explores the special issues involved in interface design for disabled persons

Visit the companion web site at www.wiley.com/compbooks/weinschenk/ for a categorized resource list of speech, speech interface, and human-computer interaction books, articles, and links.

The future is now—get down to business with this step-by-step guide to developing speech-enabled applicationsIt's not just a farfetched gizmo straight out of Star Trek anymore. Speech interface technology, which allows users to communicate with computers using their voices instead of keyboards or a mouse, has arrived and will be a main feature in the next version of the interface software. For the millions of traditional graphical user-interface designers who need to make a rapid transition in order to stay abreast of this monumental shift in software development, here is a straightforward guide with all the answers. Written by a pair of experts in state-of-the-art online communication, the book discusses the basics of each type of speech interface and then leads readers step by step through the entire design and testing process. Also featured is unprecedented coverage of the special issues involved in interface design for disabled persons.

Computing Reviews

...substantial and useful, [...] this book is informative and educational

SUSAN WEINSCHENK, PhD is Principal of Weinschenk Consulting Group which specializes in user interface design, Web design, and usability testing. She is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group in Computer-Human Interaction (ACM SIG CHI) and the Usability Professional's Association (UPA). She is also the author of GUI Design Essentials (also from Wiley).
DEAN T. BARKER is a Senior Usability Engineer with Interface Architecture, Inc., and has previously held senior positions with Unisys and Compuware Corp. He is a Certified Interface Designer and a member of ACM SIG CHI, UPA, and the Society for Technical Communication (STC).