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A Warning to Developers:
It Ain't a Technical Problem

Often, when a programmer or other technically minded person finds out about speech software and devices, the response is, "Oh, I could do that!" While I support anyone who can further the state of the art, or who can get good technology into places it can be used to help people communicate, I also hope that anyone who becomes involved in it understands the needs of people who will use the technology. There is a lot more to helping people communicate than writing a cool software program.

Don't Shortchange Your Users

One of the most important things is to not design communication software to meet financial needs. It is a human right to be able to communicate, and it is important that anyone who can benefit from communication technology be given the chance to use the best technology for their particular communication needs - regardless of the cost of that technology. Often, developers of solutions who are trying simply to help a specific person would be better off helping to raise money for many of the existing commercial systems (although I encourage you to work with a commercial vendor who specializes in communication technology - they often have funding specialists who know the intricacies of funding far better than the average technologist).

Sure, you may be able to make a device that talks. You may even be able to make it meet the needs of someone 99% as well as an existing device can. But, that 1% is important. It's part of the user's ability to impact the world. You can't put a dollar amount on even that 1% - please don't try.

Now, if you can make a device or program that meets the needs of someone 120% better than anything you can buy, that's wonderful and you should do so! It's also wonderful to design something that does something nothing else on the market does, but isn't designed to substitute for an existing commercial solution. That's cool too. What is not cool is to design an inferior solution.

Know What Already Exists

Often, technologists reinvent technology that has existed in communication devices for years. The problem is that often the new invention doesn't work as well as the technology that has been perfected for years! Examples of this type of technology are Minspeak and the many different types of scanning for users who can't use a keyboard - people often try to reinvent both, but usually come up with a solution that works nowhere near as well as the technologies commonly available.

Durability/Reliability

When you design something that will become someone's voice, you have a serious responsibility to make sure that this technology is going to be useful when it is needed. This means it must be durable and reliable. If it's a device, it's going to get dropped, stepped on, have stuff spilled on it, and otherwise be "mistreated." Make sure it will survive! In addition, a system that only crashes "occasionally" or which only trashes it's internal database "once in a while" is simply unacceptable!

Portability

Do you only talk when you are in front of a desktop computer? Probably not! Portability is very important - and understanding the needs of your user is important to understand what is required for portability. Did you know users who walk have very different needs than users that use a wheelchair, for instance? When you leave the home, how long do you expect to use your voice before your "battery" goes dead? All day? Is the device/technology you created able to last all day?

Ease of Use and Simplicity

I've seen communication systems for people that have lots of wires, tons of external parts, and complicated software. Unfortunately, these types of solutions - while definitely cheaper than many of the commercial "integrated" solutions - need someone with both patience and the ability to understand the technology. When you are talking to a friend, or want to say something to the police, you don't want to be trying to figure out what jack is the audio out jack! You want to turn it on, select your message, and speak your message. Nothing more. You don't even want to wait for it to boot - sometimes your message can't wait that long!

I won't even touch on the fact that some devices are impossible for their users to set up themselves - they require another person to "set it up" for them. If at all possible, the user should be able to set up and configure their device themselves, so they have as much independence as possible.

Understanding Communication

Too often the technologist assumes that he understands someone else's job - that of the speech-language pathologists (SLP). Strangely, the technologist doesn't think the SLP understands computer programming or electronics - after all, the technologist has spent years learning their field. SLPs undergo similarly intensive training, spend years both formally and informally learning their profession, and have knowledge that the average technologist simply doesn't have. While it may be possible to design a good system without an SLP's help, it may not be in the best interests of the person you are trying to help!

It's also important to realize that most commercial systems have had years of feedback from SLPs to help improve their usability for actual communication. A few hours spent with someone who needs technology to communicate is not likely to replicate this knowledge.

Different Environments

Years ago, I talked to a technologist who suggested using a small PDA, without modification, as the core of a speech device. True, the PDA was a wonder of engineering. But cool technology isn't enough to make a truly usable speech devices. The device was hard to hear even in the quiet environment where it was shown - it would certainly be impossible to hear inside a loud vehicle, at a baseball game, or even at a moderately crowded restaurant. Too often devices are tested in one environment when they will be used, at least some of the time, in completely different environments.

Support

What happens when the wonderful technology that you built breaks? What happens if you need to move for your career? Or if, for whatever reason, you simply are not able to devote time to the system because of other things in your life? Are you really able to commit to supporting your creation for years to come? What if it breaks at night? What if the person you designed it for wants help from someone who isn't personally involved in their life (for instance, they need help programming phrases that they may not want everyone close to them to know they need to use)?

While the quality of support provided by commercial vendors varies tremendously, there are vendors which are willing and able to provide telephone support to a user 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Few hobbyists can match that.

What, Then, Can I Do?

If you want to design communication technology, do so! Just be aware of the pitfalls. If you want to help a specific person, help them to get the technology that is best suited to their needs, not just what is affordable!