OT :: Frame & Voice to Text software

[Jared Crawford]

Baruch,

You said:

> I'm investigating the feasibility of using voice to
> text software as a hedge against tendonitis and other 
> work-related maladies. Does anyone have experience 
> using such software with Frame?

I know a couple of people who've done permanent damage to their arms. It's tragic because such injuries are preventable.

One coworker's diagnosis was "repetitive strain injury" to her arms:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repetitive_stress_syndrome

She was told to stop typing, which makes it difficult to be a technical writer. She got approval to purchase the most advanced version of Dragon software and had to get an office to use it (because she had to talk all the time). She used it with FrameMaker and benefited from her prior knowledge of the application to navigate the UI.

Dragon benefited from a large amount of late 90s investment and is still considered the best voice recognition application for general PC use. There was a steep learning curve for my coworker and for the Dragon application. Dragon saves your voice profile and continues to improve over time. You must remember to back those files up or you would have to retrain Dragon after a hard drive crash. 

Using Dragon was frustrating for her. She ended up focusing more on editing and developing documentation plans than developing content. Dragon enabled her to enter text, navigate the UI, but it was not as fast as typing, using keyboard shortcuts, etc. 

Dragon software could be a useful tool to help limit your time at the keyboard, but you should consider it along with a wholistic approach to identifying the cause of and managing your symptoms. You should consider a set of ergonomic options, such as your chair, your desk, a foot stool, a keyboard tray, tablet and pen entry, an ergonomic keyboard, mouse, trackball, or touchpad.

Microsoft's Healthy Computing guide is a good introduction to the subject:

http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/hcg/hcg_view.mspx

In particular, it focuses on how to make sure that your arms are in the appropriate position.

If your body is in pain, you should take a break and figure it all out before you cause a permanent injury. Carpal tunnel injuries are particularly prone to snowballing:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpal_tunnel

I use a stylus and tablet part of the time, but I mostly use a trackball with programmable buttons and the touch pad on my ergonomic keyboard (by Adesso). I also rely on keyboard shortcuts. It helps me to work faster.

If your arm pain continues, you should get a medical opinion. 

Best wishes,

--Jared

Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2009 15:07:26 +0200
From: "Baruch Brodersen" <baruch at technitext.com>
Subject: OT :: Frame & Voice to Text software
To: <framers at lists.frameusers.com>

A slightly OT request. I'm investigating the feasibility of using voice to
text software as a hedge against tendonitis and other work-related maladies.
Does anyone have experience using such software with Frame?