USABILITY REPORT
For: Corporate View's TeleView Division
PRODUCT: VOICE DICTATION HEADSET (MODEL CF85/VOICE)
Test Date:
Researchers: David Wu, Mark McGuire
Overview and Scope
Product Description
Testing Environment
Observations Summary
Exit Interview Summary
Conclusions and Recommendations
A usability test was commissioned by the T/CV R&D team to look at how voice dictation headsets interact with users in the business and home office environments. It was thought that a usability study might reveal ways voice dictation headsets can be improved.
Participants were informed that we were researching how voice dictation was being used in an office setting. They were told that the purpose of the study was to improve voice dictation products. They were not told that we were looking only at the headset and its performance. This was done so that the participants did not become overly self-conscious of how they used the headset.
The headset we evaluated (Model CF85/Voice) consists of four major parts:
A sensitive directional microphone that is positioned in front of the user's mouth.
A single earpiece containing a speaker that rests on either the left or right ear of the user.
A flexible wire band that springs over the top of the subject's head, holding the headset in place. This band can be twisted to bring the earpiece to either the left or right ear.
A cord measuring 3.5 feet and connecting the headset to the speaker and microphone ports in the back of a personal computer.
This headset works in the same manner with all major voice dictation software packages tested. At the time of this study, this headset configuration was the most common type of voice dictation input device used.
Primary testing took place in the usability lab, complete with cameras, two-way mirrors, and computerized monitoring of the participants' actions. The test moved to several office cubicles to see how employees work with the headsets in a more natural setting. Finally, a home office was observed.
Participants were asked to install the headset and its accompanying speech-recognition software on a personal computer. Observations were made of the user-friendliness of the installation instructions and of the installation process as it related to the implementation of the headset.
After installation, participants were asked to discover how to use the software and the headset well enough to dictate a short letter to their supervisors. A standard letter was given to each participant so that each subject was given the same dictation task.
After the letter dictation exercise, the participants were asked to do their normal work for a period of three days, using their headsets to dictate as much of their work as they possibly could. Naturally, the participants were asked to ignore, as much as possible, the presence of a research person who was taking copious notes.
At the end of the observation period, participants were asked a series of questions about their experience:
What did you like about the headset you used as you dictated?
What did you find cumbersome about the headset you used while you dictated?
Did the headset cause you any discomfort?
How would you change the headset?
Do you have any additional comments for the research team about the headset?
Observations related to installation, online training, the letter participants used, headset adjustments, cables, cords, and other objects were recorded.
Installation
Each participant eagerly opened the headset package and software and began to install the dictation system. The headset was generally opened from its plastic pouch before the software. Most tried to install the headset before reading the instructions. Many subjects required assistance finding exactly where to plug in the two headset ends. They would then go to the instructions, which didn't include a diagram of where the headset ends were to be placed. Participants would experiment until they got it right, or they would ask an IT person for help.
Once the software was installed, the headset became a functional device on three out of four participants' computers. The other 25 percent required assistance from an Information Technology employee to make the necessary adjustments to the configuration of their computer. Most problems experienced by IT were undocumented.
Online Training
After installation, the participants began to play with the system. With speech-recognition software, this was an important time. The process consisted of two parts: Participants learned to use the system, and they trained the system to understand their unique speech patterns. To help them get started, most participants ran the online instructional tutorial. Because that training system has many levels, some employees spent as much as two hours adjusting their systems, making modifications, and adjusting the software to fit their unique accents and voice patterns.
One key ingredient of this initial use period is the adjustment of the volume controls for the headset speakers and microphone. The participants accomplished this process in a matter of seconds, without any apparent difficulties.
The Letter
As the participants began to dictate their first letters, they were excited and seemed to be having a lot of fun. They did have some difficulty remembering commands, particularly those related to paragraphing, quotations, and capitalization. The command card accompanying the software was inadequate and hard to follow. Trial and error became the most-used form of learning during the dictation of the letter. Because our study focused only on the headsets, it is recommended that a separate usability study be conducted to assess the effectiveness of the hard copy instructions and of the tutorial systems.
Headset Adjustment
Users had some difficulty adjusting their microphones physically on their heads. Some would put the headset microphone too close to their mouths, and others would leave the microphone too far away. This resulted in many unnecessary errors.
Cables, Cords, and Other Objects
We noticed almost immediately that the mouse was used frequently to help edit and correct errors in the dictation. The mouse cord and the cord coming from the headset originate in roughly the same position on the back of the computer. Therefore, the lines often became entangled and eventually twisted several times around each other. In several instances, the cords had to be unraveled before work could continue.
In the days that followed, we noticed that the cords also became entangled with the multimedia speakers found on some computers. Cords got wrapped around phone cords and became trapped under objects on the desktop. In one case, a cord was caught inside a three-hole punch and was nearly accidentally cut in half.
We also noticed that as subjects became more comfortable with the technology, they began to relax and lean back in their chairs to dictate. Or they would perform other menial tasks while they talked. The cord, in most cases, was too short for this kind of use. Participants would slide their rolling chairs backward, lean back, and relax, stretching the cord to its limits and pulling the headset from their heads.
Many subjects found the headset cord interesting to play with. They began to wrap the cord around their fingers, creating interesting designs between their fingers as they dictated.
After one or two days, objects such as staplers, hole punches, papers, reports, reference books, and even drink glasses ended up on the headset or on the cord. This restricted movement even further. Rather than move the objects, most participants pulled on the cord in an attempt to free it from the obstruction. Several times, the headset was in peril of being damaged or pulled out of the back of the computer. In one case, a swift pull to clear the headset cord resulted in a drink being tipped over, soaking a keyboard and the participant's report.
It was interesting that those using speech-recognition technology quickly became hooked, even dependent, on this new technology. As time passed, however, frustrations with the headset and the tangled cord increased. Users would often forget they were wearing the headset, and as they got up from their chairs, the headset would be ripped from their heads.
Participants responded to exit interview questions posed by the researchers. Here is a summary of their answers.
What did you like about the headset you used as you dictated? In each case, subjects talked at length about how much they liked dictating as opposed to typing. No mention was ever made of the headsets, however, when this question was asked.
What did you find cumbersome about the headset you used while you dictated? This question validated our observations that the headset cord easily became entangled with other cords and found its way on the bottom of piles of papers and other desktop objects.
Did the headset cause you any discomfort? Participants complained only slightly of any discomfort caused by the headsets. However, two users complained that the fabric used to cover the earpiece speaker irritated their ears.
How would you change the headset? Without hesitation, each participant said she or he would get rid of the cord. All participants wanted the freedom to move about their offices while they dictated. They found that the cord often got caught under objects on the desktop or became entangled around other cords.
Do you have any additional comments for the research team about the headset? The research team was disappointed with this question because virtually no new information was revealed. Question 4 seemed to take care of most issues.
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Speech recognition is an exciting technology that employees readily appreciate. However, the current headsets do not meet professional office usability standards. They are annoying and frustrating because the headset cord becomes entangled and covered up on a busy person's desk.
We recommend that a wireless headset be investigated and tested on these same participants.
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