VUI development for Korean people with dysarthria

Purpose – This paper describes the development process of a mobile Voice User Interface (VUI) for Korean users with dysarthria with currently available speech recognition technology by conducting systematic user needs analysis and applying usability testing feedback to prototype system designs. Design/methodology/approach – Four usability surveys are conducted for the development of the prototype system. According to the two surveys on user needs and user experiences with existing VUI systems at the stage of the prototype design, the target platforms, and target applications are determined. Furthermore, a set of basic words is selected by the prospective users, which enables the system to be not only custom designed for dysarthric speakers but also individualized for each user. Reflecting the requests relating to general usage of the VUI and the UI design preference of users through evaluation of the initial prototype, we develop the final prototype, which is an individualized voice keyboard for mobile devices based on an isolated word recognition engine with word prediction. Findings – The results of this paper show that target user participation in system development is effective for improving usability and satisfaction of the system, as the system is developed considering various ideas and feedback obtained in each development stage from different prospective users. Originality/value – We have developed an automatic speech recognition-based mobile VUI system not only custom designed for dysarthric speakers but also individualized for each user, focussing on the usability aspect through four usability surveys. This voice keyboard system has the potential to be an assistive and alternative input method for people with speech impairment, including mild to moderate dysarthria, and people with physical disabilities.