Designing products that speak: lessons from talking systems for blind people

Speech synthesis technology is increasingly being used to enhance domestic products and to make them accessible to blind and visually impaired people. The latter is of some importance, particularly in the USA, where legislation is demanding accessibility to equipment for all people. A wide range of products with speech and sound output have been used by blind people for a number of years, and a wealth of experience has been accumulated. This article identifies some of the lessons that have been learnt from this group, and presents them as a basis for using speech in products whether they are for the population as a whole, while still providing access for blind people, or primarily for blind users.<>