Dragon Speaking Naturally - Using the Microphone for Navigating on Your Computer
Finding your way around the Dragon interface by voice command is relatively simple. Moving around applications with a microphone and mouse is typically what most of us do when we first start using Dragon (Most likely we're using Dragon for simple dictation when we first start out). But what if one of us is giving a presentation that we've prepared with Microsoft Power Point? Wouldn't it be more convenient to have our hands free of the mouse and keyboard? How about being able to issue commands while still addressing the audience? If we're using the keyboard and mouse, we have to look away from our audience too long, and possibly too many times.
By utilizing the navigation features in Dragon, our presentation appears more elegant and professional (albeit, our performance is executed more powerfully before our clients and peers). As well, there are myriad other uses for navigating with the microphone. My personal reason for navigating with the microphone is that I can avoid making mistakes with the mouse (such as clicking the wrong mouse button, or activating a web tool that I didn't intend to use). When we speak a command to Dragon we're less likely to make a mistake on our computers. If you think that learning Dragon's commands is a complicated endeavor, then consider the prospect of learning all the features on some of today's new keyboards. It becomes difficult to avoid hitting the wrong button or key. With Dragon, the mouse/ keyboard problem simply does not exist.
For our purposes here, we'll focus on navigating through desktop and online applications using Dragon Speaking Naturally. So, let's get started!
Navigating the Dragon
Whether we're running Windows or Mac OS on our computer, the concept of opening a window and switching between various applications is virtually the same on both systems. Dragon works on both operating systems equally well. Onward!
Toggling
The average person using a computer typically has up to eight windows open on the screen at one time. This means that most of us are already familiar with the concept of toggling between applications. For those who are new to this concept, toggling is nothing more than the user switching between two or more windows/applications on a computer without having to open/ close each individual window/ application (As well, 'toggling' may apply to turning a mode on/off). Toggling between windows and applications with Dragon allows the user to move between applications without haggling over the tabs on the taskbar (Certainly we've all had the experience of accidently closing a tab by right-clicking the mouse or hitting the wrong keyboard command).
The "switch to" command is used to toggle between open applications and active windows on the screen. In order to address the object we want to switch to, we read the title bar on the window or application. For example, if I have MS Power Point and MS Word open, I can toggle between either application by saying "switch to (application's name)". I can also toggle between windows by saying "switch to next window" or "switch to previous window". As you can see, toggling made is easier with Dragon as opposed to hitting combinations of keys on your keyboard.
Setting the focus on a window's tab
Although windows run the gamut in the Windows interface, there are other types of screens that we will stumble upon when doing any significant work on a personal computer. For instance, tabs work to further divide a window into categories; and each tab will be filled with any number or options. Navigating through tabs can be intimidating with the microphone, and you'll no sooner find yourself instinctively reaching for the mouse/ keyboard before you try Dragon. Don't be discouraged. Learning how to navigate through tabs only takes one initial effort to practice the commands; After which, you'll know the commands like the back of your hand.
To shift the focus from one tab to another we use the "go to next/ previous tab" command. Practice this command a few times until it becomes natural to say it. You can also say "go to (name of the tab)" to set the focus on a specific tab (A helpful command phrase if you happen to have ten or more tabs displayed on the screen).
One of the things I've run in to while using Dragon is the tab's label (the name on the tab) not being recognized. This is not Dragon's fault, really. Sometimes programmers will give a tab a different name (visible only in the code they write) than the one that is displayed on the tab. The computer only recognizes the name the programmers gave the tab. If this happens to you, just use the next/previous commands or click on the tab you want with your mouse (It won't hurt Dragon's feelings if you occasionally use the mouse).
Tabs are filled with options for us to click on. If we want to select something like a checkbox without resorting to the barbarous act of touching a keyboard (or the antiquarian mouse for that matter), we can read aloud the label adjacent to the checkbox. To deselect a checkbox we simply repeat ourselves by saying the name of the label into the microphone again (Anything else would be uncivilized). Another way of enabling a checkbox is to say "tab" or "tab key" (used interchangeably) until the focus is fixed on the appropriate label. To insert the checkmark, we use the "space bar" command.
Menus and list boxes
Menus are easy to access. For the most part we just say the name of the menu and wait for it to open (which shouldn't take too long). After the menu opens we select the appropriate action, such as saving a file, by saying the name of that action. Dragon will select and execute the action you've selected.
List boxes often have names. In order to set the focus on a particular list box we tell Dragon the name of the list box, and then give the command to open the list. For example, if you're shopping for a car on a dealer's website, you will probably say something like "Make", "Open list", "Jaguar". We can also make a selection from a list by scrolling. To scroll down a list, simply say "Move (up/down)".
We can also scroll through documents or web pages similarly to the way we move up and down a list box. The only difference is that we have four directions we can move. Here are the commands we'll use most often:
Move down
Move up
Move right
Move left
Now there comes a problem of which one might not expect from the simplicity of these commands; Namely, scrolling too far up or down a page. The fault is in the way in which we issue the commands to Dragon. For starters, Dragon does not know how far down the page we want to move unless we specify. In order to tell Dragon how far to go up/ down, left or right on a page, we implement the number of clicks on the scroll bar arrow we want to move.
This is how we phrase the command to scroll more precisely on a document or web page:
"Move (up/down or left/right, #)"
In other words, if I want to scroll just a few lines from the bottom of the web page I'm reading, I will say "Move down 3". By phrasing our commands correctly we can move virtually anywhere within the document or web page.
Keep in mind that proper phrasing is necessary to navigate through Dragon. The name of the software says it all, Dragon, Naturally Speaking. The more naturally the user speaks, the better Dragon will work. This means we issue commands to Dragon just like we're talking to a real person. With a little practice, the commands used to navigate with Dragon are easily remembered.
