Use voice commands

  • 5 minutes

Speech input providers, like Windows Speech Input, don't create any controllers; however, as a replacement, it assists you in outlining key phrases to improve speech input events when recognized. The Speech Commands Profile in the Input System Profile is wherein you configure the key phrases to recognize. For each command you can also:

  • Select an input action to map it to. This way you can for example, use the keyword select to have the same effect as a left mouse click, by mapping both to the same action.
  • Specify a key code that will produce the same speech event when pressed.
  • Add a localization key that will be used in UWP apps to obtain the localized keyword from the app resources.

Advantages of voice-input

Voice input is a natural way to communicate our intents. Voice is especially good at interface traversals because it can help users cut through multiple steps of an interface. A user might say "go back" while looking at a webpage, instead of having to go up and hit the back button in the app. This small time saving has a powerful emotional effect on user’s perception of the experience and gives them a small amount superpower. Using voice is also a convenient input method when we have our arms full or are multi-tasking. On devices where typing on a keyboard is difficult, voice dictation can be an efficient alternative way to input text. Lastly, in some cases when the range of accuracy for gaze and gesture are limited, voice can help to disambiguate the user's intent.

How using voice can benefit the user

  • Reduces time - it should make the end goal more efficient.
  • Minimizes effort - it should make tasks more fluid and effortless.
  • Reduces cognitive load - it's intuitive, easy to learn, and remember.
  • It's socially acceptable - it should fit in with societal norms of behavior.
  • It's routine - voice can readily become a habitual behavior.