Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11.5 Review
Voice recognition has developed a lot during the last 10 years. One of the software available today is called Dragon NaturallySpeaking, by Nuance Technologies. The software is now in its 11th version. In fact, the version I am using now is 11.5. Traditionally, this kind of software has been associated with disabled people. Nowadays, the marketing seem to be shifted towards all kinds of people. Nuance is no different, and its website contains very impressive videos of how the software enables to increase productivity. I bought a copy of Dragon NaturallySpeaking, because I wanted to see if it can support me in my writing.
Here is a short video:
As you probably can guess by now, I'm currently dictating this text. I bought this software a few weeks ago, in the middle of the night. It did not take me more than 10 minutes to understand that this was a piece of software that I couldn't just "plug” and start “playing” with, a bit before going to sleep, because it takes some time to get it working right.
It's actually surprisingly difficult to start using this software.
I am still trying to learn it, and haven't fully gotten the hang of it. However, I have got to admit it's getting easier. You just have to get used to the commands, like: "comma”, “full stop”, “select [word to select]”, “go to end of line”, “move two lines down”, “backspace”, “scratch that”, and many more. You really have to be a master in order to manage the more tricky spelling assignments, like in making the software write its own commands (instead of interpreting them as commands)… Consequently I have to admit that in the last paragraphs I had to give up, and do some manual writing.
- There seems to be a few success factors that make using Dragon NaturallySpeaking easier. These include:
- taking the time to familiarize with the videos or the manual
- patience
- teaching the software your writing style, by showing it your previously written material (which it analyzes)
- patience
- patience
- teaching the software the words it constantly understands strongly (it has to do with your specific spelling)
- patience
I repeat patience many times above, because the software just didn’t understand that I wanted to create a bullet list.
[Just as I was dictating the last sentence, I could see the right command for creating bullet lists is simply… "bullets".]Slowly, but surely, I must admit, I and this piece of software are getting better along. It will be interesting to see how much I will use Dragon in the future. Dictating texts forces you to be quiet if you haven't thought about what you want to have written. If you make unclear or unfinished utterances, that is exactly what you will have on your text (don’t worry, it’s software – it has patience to wait as you think through your next sentence). Funnily, Dragon also understands you better the longer utterances you make. This is due to the fact that the software contains statistics about which words normally belong together. When you think about it, it makes sense.
It seems like a combination of dictating, using the mouse, and keying in the most difficult-to-spell parts with keyboard, is the most effective combination for me, at least for now.
Yes, I do have a few complaints. One is that installation was a bit tricky… I had been using my Windows system as the admin user, but this software doesn't allow to be run as admin. So, I had to create a normal user profile just in order to test it. This is most likely for security reasons, as the software executes commands beyond simple dictating tasks, and running it as admin could be really harmful. Admittedly, starting to use Windows as a normal user was good for my security overall! Adding to the installation, getting the audio to work was also a bit tricky.
Secondly, using the software really requires learning, or it will kill you in frustration, as it does not do as you say. Believe me, it's really frustrating to Dragon if you don't know how to command it. Luckily, practice seems to make you better. I have really improved only during this dictation session. Really encouraging!
A last point worth noting is that Dragon seems to need quite a silent background in order to work properly. If other people are at home, you need to find a separate room for your dictation session. And if you’re home alone, you’ve better close that television.
Dragon NaturallySpeaking - Summary
Overall, voice dictation technology nowadays seems quite far developed. At around 100$ or less for the basic version (which I have), it is becoming quite affordable too. At least at this moment, I'm quite sure I will use Dragon for supporting my writing in the future too.
Learn more about Dragon NaturallySpeaking at the Nuance website.