Hi, rocketman60,
I used Office's voice recognition on a short-term leave a couple of years
ago, and I found it to be quite accurate. Here are a few suggestions, no
matter what system is chosen:
- Spend $50 or more get a good-quality USB headset with microphone to use.
This will enhance recognition accuracy by 1) minimizing background noise,
and 2) providing high-speed voice and feedback.
- Take the time to train the system to recognize his voice. (With Office,
it would be best to ensure you do this on a system that he will use for
awhile, because you can't copy over the user voice profile information from
one computer to another. You'd have to do it all over again, if he's due
for a new computer for some reason.)
- Realize that he will be more productive with a slight shift in the
document composition paradigm: When typing, I look at the screen and fix
errors right away. When dictating, you can do this; however, I found it
much more efficient to dictate everything first, then go back and fix issues
later, especially since I have some ability to use a mouse and keyboard for
bits and pieces. If you were unable to use hands at all, I don't know what
would be the most efficient way to work.
- Also realize that there is a learning curve with this software. For
example, learning how to help the computer distinguish among dictation,
acronyms and menu commands.
Good luck--
