Starting back with Microsoft Windows Vista, the old Speech Application Programming Interface (SAPI) gained a new managed look. The System.Speech namespace allows developers to speech-enable applications. Here are the System.Speech namespaces available to you:
- https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.speech.audioformat.aspx
- http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.speech.recognition.aspx
- http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.speech.recognition.aspx
- http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.speech.synthesis.aspx
- http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.speech.synthesis.ttsengine.aspx
Not only does the TTS technology open the door to a significant portion of the population with literacy difficulties, learning disabilities, reduced vision, and language issues, but also to seniors and the broader online population (both young and old) who are looking for convenient ways to access content:
It is absolutely mind-boggling that 15-20% of the population worldwide has some form of language-based learning disability. This is just one of the many areas where TTS can prove its value. Add to that the alarming rate of high school students who graduate yet read at a very low-grade level, and you have a huge value add that TTS can provide. And don't forget that the language-based disability is worldwide, meaning it's not just in English. By being able to support multiple languages we add a huge value in any situation.
Another aspect of assistance our approach takes is addressing the ever-growing population of senior citizens around the world that are just now coming into the digital age:
For senior citizens, the digital age can be very frightening. You go from 50 years of having paper bank statements to now having it available in this thing called the Cloud, which no one can quantify. From getting a check in the mail each month to now just trusting that it's in the bank, from writing checks to pushing buttons. From driving to see the grandchildren once a year to FaceTiming them every weekend. Hopefully, you can see that not only has the number of people accessing digital media increased, but for some it's not been as enjoyable or stress free as it has for many others. So, TTS makes this transition into the digital age a bit less user hostile.
Our next screenshot also helps us determine how important a smooth transition to digital media can be. The following chart shows the average time spent per day on major media by US adults:
