Voice Access on Android 

Voice Access is used to navigate and interact with Android devices using voice commands. 

Basic Requirements 

• Introduced in Android Version 7 and later. 
• Working microphone in Android device for users to give commands. 
• Download Voice Access from Google Play store. 
• Google Assistant should be activated on the device such that users can switch on Voice Access even by giving the command “Turn on Voice Access”. 

Turn Voice Access On or Off 

1. Go to Device Settings  
2. Select Accessibility and then tap Voice Access
3. To start using Voice Access, tap the Voice Access activation button

Tip: You can set up the activation button in Settings  > Accessibility > Voice Access > Settings > Activation button.

Interact using Voice Access 

Activate Voice Access 

After tapping on Voice Access activation button , the text “Voice Access on ” is displayed on screen to indicate that user can give voice commands to perform actions. They can use “Stop Listening” command to stop Voice Access. 

Activate Elements 

We can activate elements using voice commands such as “Tap” followed by the name of the elements. 

Basic Commands to interact with Voice Access 

• Show labels – This command displays an overlay with the name of the elements along with numbers. Users can say label name to activate the respective element. For Example, if users say, “Navigate Up” on Accessibility Settings screen, it will take users to the previous screen. 

• Show numbers – This command displays an overlay with number tags for the elements. Users can say “Tap number” or just the number to activate with respective item. For Example, if users say, “Tap 10″, it will activate the Accessibility Menu button on Accessibility Settings screen and take them to the Accessibility Menu screen. 

Tip:  Users can quickly find out the description of numbered element using “What is [number] ?” Command. 

• Show grid – This command displays numbered grid overlay and user can say “Tap number” on the grid to enlarge that area which will then present a new set of grid overlay. For Example, if users say “Tap 18” it will open an enlarged view of the grid that will display more numbers. Again, when users say, “Tap 8”, the Display & brightness button on Settings screen will get activated and they will be taken to Display & brightness screen.    

Tip: More information on how to interact with Voice Access can be found on https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/6151848

Let’s explore opening the browser, to open the browser give the command “Open Chrome”. Now that we have opened the browser, let’s go ahead and open a website and say the following commands: 

1. Use the “Tap Address” command to navigate to the Address Bar. 
2. Dictate the Web address. (For example, https://www.barrierbreak.com/image-description/) 
3. Use the “Tap Go” command to activate the “Go” button to access the screen.

Now to navigate through the Image description screen, whether it is to a link, button or form controls, use the following commands. 

• Tap element name  – To directly activate a link or button. 
• Scroll Up or Scroll Down – To go up and down a screen. 
• Go back – To navigate to previous screen.                

Don’t you feel speech recognition is fascinating? It has come a long way in recent years, and with the way it is being evolving will definitely only lead to more improvements. These features can make it easier for users with any disabilities to interact with their devices and perform a wide range of tasks using their voice. 

Utilizing Voice Access on your Android device can greatly enhance your experience and accessibility. By following the steps outlined in this blog, you can easily get started with voice access and enjoy its rich set of features.   

Hope this series of blogs helps you to get started with the speech recognition in Android and iOS. Feel free to drop in your comments and share your experiences of using Voice Access! 

Happy exploring !! 

Looking for a reliable digital accessibility partner that truly understands your commitment to inclusion and accessibility? Why settle for anything less than the best? Choose us as your accessibility vendor and take the first step towards a truly inclusive digital future. 

This article by Jayshree Sharma is a part of our BB Geek series where BarrierBreak team members share their expertise on accessibility and inclusion, drawing from their extensive experience in the field.

The post How to get started with Voice Access (Android)? appeared first on Leader in Offshore Accessibility Testing | Section 508 Compliance | WCAG Conformance | BarrierBreak.

Speech recognition will also be helpful when we find ourselves in a situation where our hands are occupied but need to perform a task. For example, we are in a crowded place and need to make an urgent phone call. Simply give the voice command and get the task done. Yes, we can do this with voice assistants like Siri and Google Assistant but speech recognition goes beyond these!  

Let’s delve into the basics of using built-in speech recognition on iOS! 

Voice Control in iOS 

Using Voice Control, we can navigate and interact with our iOS devices using different voice commands. 

Basic Requirements 

• Introduced in iOS 13 and available for later versions as well. 
• Working microphone in iOS device for users to say commands. 
• Active Internet Connection is needed to download required files for first time setup. 
• Siri needs to be setup in iOS device such that users can switch on Voice Control even by using the command “Turn on Voice Control”. 

Tip: Wi-Fi needs to be turned on when using Voice Control for the first time to download initial setup. 

Turn Voice Control On or Off 

1. Go to Settings icon  and select Accessibility.
2. Select Voice Control, then select Set up Voice Control which will initiate a download for initial setup.  
3. When the download is complete, a microphone icon will appear in the status bar of your device.

Tip:  Microphone icon in status bar indicates that Voice Control is enabled or not. 

Interact using Voice Control 

Wake up your device 

We can use the voice command “Wake up” to make your device start listening with a command and for it to stop listening, use the “Go to sleep” command. 

Activate Items 

We can activate items using voice commands such as “Tap” followed by the name of the item. 

Basic Commands to interact with Voice Control 

• Show names – This command displays an overlay with the name of the items. Users can say “Tap item name” to activate the respective item. For example, on Voice Control screen of Accessibility Settings – if users say, “Tap Language”, it will activate the Language button and take them to the Language screen. 

Tip: Switch on “Show Hints” from the Settings > Accessibility options > Voice Control  to get suggestions for Voice commands. 

• Show numbers – This command displays an overlay with number tags for the items. Users can say “Tap number” to activate with respective item. For example, on Voice Control screen of Accessibility Settings – if users say, “Tap 3”, it will activate the Zoom button and take them to the Zoom screen. 

• Show grid – This command displays numbered grid overlay and user can say “Tap number” to enlarge that area which will then present a new set of grid overlay. For example, on Voice Control screen of Accessibility Settings – if users say “Tap 12” it will open an enlarge view of the grid that will display more numbers. Again, when users say, “Tap 2”, Zoom button will get activated and they will be taken to Zoom screen. 

Tip: More information on how to interact with Voice Control can be found on https://support.apple.com/en-in/guide/iphone/iph2c21a3c88/ios  
 
Let’s explore opening the browser, to open the browser give the command “Open Safari”. Now that we have opened the browser, let’s go ahead and open a website and say the following commands: 

1. Go to the Address Bar by giving the command “Tap Address” when names of items shown on screen via Show Names command. 
2. Dictate the Web address. (For example, https://www.barrierbreak.com/vpat-creation/) 
3. Say the command “Tap Go” to navigate to the screen. 

Now to navigate through the VPAT creation screen, whether it is to a link, button or form controls, use the following commands. 

• Tap item name – To directly activate a link or button. 
• Scroll Up or Scroll Down – To go up and down a screen. 
• Go back – To navigate to previous screen. 

Tip: We can explore few more commands by saying the “Show Commands” with Voice Control turned on. 

Don’t you feel speech recognition is fascinating? It has come a long way in recent years, and with the way it is being evolving will definitely only lead to more improvements. These features can make it easier for users with any disabilities to interact with their devices and perform a wide range of tasks using their voice. 

Utilizing voice control on your iOS device can greatly enhance your experience and accessibility. By following the steps outlined in this blog, you can easily get started with voice control and enjoy its benefits.  

If you’re an Android user, don’t worry – we’ll be covering how to get started with Voice Access in Android in our next blog post. Be sure to keep an eye out for the next entry in this series! 

Looking for a reliable digital accessibility partner that truly understands your commitment to inclusion and accessibility? Why settle for anything less than the best? Choose us as your accessibility vendor and take the first step towards a truly inclusive digital future.

This article by Jayshree Sharma is a part of our BB Geek series where BarrierBreak team members share their expertise on accessibility and inclusion, drawing from their extensive experience in the field.

The post How to get started with Voice Control (iOS)? appeared first on Leader in Offshore Accessibility Testing | Section 508 Compliance | WCAG Conformance | BarrierBreak.

Speech recognition software is a type of computer program that is able to interpret human speech and convert it into text. This software is used in a variety of settings, including personal assistants, mobile applications, and more. In order to work, the software must first be trained to understand the user’s voice and accent. 

Speech recognition software is used by people with mobility impairments, and they have multiple options today across different operating systems to choose from. Dragon Naturally Speaking is one of the old players and still the preferred choice for many speech recognition users. Both Windows and Mac have in-built speech recognition and so do Android and iOS. 

Additional Resource: Cheat Sheet – Dragon Naturally Speaking Commands for Web Testing

How Speech Recognition Works? 

Speech recognition technology has come a long way in recent years. This technology enables computers to understand and interpret human speech. There are many different applications for speech recognition, from voice-activated assistants to hands-free control of devices. 

Once the device is trained to recognize your voice, there are multiple ways through which a task can be performed. All the different speech recognition software gives users variety of interaction methods to carry out their tasks. Based on the task at hand, users can opt to use an interaction method.  

Interaction Patterns 

How do we really interact with speech recognition? What are the various commands that we give? 

• Voice Command: ‘Click Submit’, ‘Click First Name’ 
• Dictation Command: ‘Add line’, ‘Delete’  
• Users say: ‘Show Numbers’  
• Show Labels or Names 
• MouseGrid –Used for controls that lack keyboard support 
• Users can carry out keyboard commands, control the mouse & carry out gestures too.

Common Accessibility Challenges 

• Lack of keyboard focus indicator  
• Textual description for image links and buttons doesn’t match with the visual text on the image 
• Links with identical text 
• Lack of image descriptions for image-based controls 
• Content available only on mouse hover, drop-down menus, tooltips 
• Clickable area is too small 
• Accessible areas for user interface controls don’t match with their visual labels 

Accessible Implementation 

Managing focus correctly, making sure all the controls are keyboard operable, using native HTML elements and providing semantics for custom controls are applicable to speech recognition in the same way as they are applicable to other assistive technologies.  

To know more in detail about the various techniques of accessible implementation download this presentation on Web Accessibility for Speech Recognition Users. Get in touch with us at info@barrierbreak.com for accessibility related queries.

The post Web Accessibility for Speech Recognition Users – A Pragmatic Approach appeared first on Leader in Offshore Accessibility Testing | Section 508 Compliance | WCAG Conformance | BarrierBreak.