Convenience Drives the Speech Technology Market

An SVOX study of more than 1,000 consumers, conducted by research firm TNS, has revealed the public perception of the advantages of text-to-speech and speech recognition technologies. Convenience came out top overall – 44 percent saw it as the main benefit of text-to-speech, with 29 percent citing it as the main benefit of speech recognition solutions.

Driver safety also continues to be a compelling advantage for many. Thirty-seven percent of respondents placed this as a main benefit of text-to-speech, with 30 percent agreeing in regards to speech recognition. Text-to-speech and speech recognition technology can give motorists the ability to control navigation devices and infotainment systems using voice commands, and to have their email, text mesages, or voicemail read aloud from their mobile devicess. This means the drivers’ eyes can stay firmly focused on the road and their hands on the wheel while they continue to use devices that are traditionally handheld.

“It’s reassuring to see the driver safety benefits being recognized,” said Martin Reber, CEO of SVOX. “These solutions are now so sophisticated that using your voice to control the radio, enter a navigation destination, or make a call is just like asking your passenger to complete the same task.”

“Technology such as one-shot destination entry and conversational style dialogue systems make it easier than ever to operate in-car devices by voice,” Reber continued. “With so many people now wanting to stay in touch whether they’re at home, in the office, or out on the road, it is important that more drivers become aware of the speech solutions available in their cars, which are incredibly easy to operate and can help to improve driver and passenger safety.”

Several respondents, meanwhile, believe speech recognition is a time saver, with 11 percent valuing the increased productivity it offers and 9 percent recognizing the advantages in making access and navigation of devices easier. In addition, 19 percent saw improved productivity as the main benefit of text-to-speech technology.

“We’ve all become obsessed with being contactable 24/7, being able to listen to whatever we want, when we want, and use the latest gadgets to guide us to our next meeting or a dinner venue,” Reber added. “This, combined with a desire to work smarter, means that any opportunity to make life easier for ourselves will be grasped with both hands. Of course the obvious benefit of speech recognition is that we can do so much while simultaneously making a cup of coffee, finally making multitasking a reality.”

This study was conducted in Great Britain via PRBus, an Internet omnibus survey. A sample of 1,044 adults aged 16 to 64 were interviewed in November.

Further details on the key research findings with regards to text-to-speech:

• 44 percent of those surveyed believe the main benefit of text-to-speech technology is convenience, saying it’s easier to have incoming email or messages read aloud when busy with other actions such as driving, walking etc.;
• 37 percent of respondents said the main benefit of text-to-speech technology is that it improves driver safety, as drivers can listen to email or messages, or have the name of callers read aloud, all without taking their eyes off the road; and
• 19 percent said the main benefit of text-to-speech technology was that it helped improve productivity, as users can have email or messages read aloud while on the go.

Further details on the key research findings with regards to speech recognition:

• 30 percent said the main benefit of speech recognition solutions was that they improve driver safety;
• 29 percent said the main benefit of speech recognition technology is convenience, saying it’s easier to use voice to accomplish tasks like dictating a message or entering a navigation address;
• 11 percent said improved productivity was the main benefit of speech recognition, as users can access the full functionality of mobile devices while on the go; and
• 9 percent said device accessibility was the main benefit of speech recognition, noting that it's easier to navigate complex functionality of sophisticated mobile and tablet devices with voice.