Human Computer Interface

1. Human Computer Interface Presentation during ELITEX 2005 on theme: ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications Vinamra AgarwalVP, Business Development Prologix Software Solutions Pvt. Ltd. technology with a voice… ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

2. About us… • A young company – established 1999 in Lucknow, India • Set up by alumni from IIT Kanpur and XLRI, Jamshedpur • Voice based technology and Solutions developer • ‘One of the most innovative IT companies in India’ - Nasscom’s IT Innovation in India 2004 • ‘Leading the next wave of Indian IT’ – Corporate Dossier, The Economic Times • The company to develop India’s first high quality local language Text to Speech software – VAACHAK • Best of India Product showcase at NASSCOM 2005 ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

3. The Human Computer Interface …Concerned with the DESIGN,EVALUATION and IMPLEMENTATION of interactive computing systems for human use • …Includes all aspects of the human's experience • Screen layout and selection options • Input and output devices • Reliability and accessibility ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

4. Point of integration between technology and humans What is the Human Computer Interface? • Essential for ensuring meaningful transfer of information • Must deeply understand people, demographics, cultural and educational backgrounds, and work practices • Must understand capabilities and limitations of technology ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

5. What is a Good Interface? • Effective • Efficient • Intuitive • Pleasing ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

6. Mouse Keyboard Speaker Verification Speech recognition Systems Joysticks, Light pen etc. Monitor Plotter Speech (Text to speech Application) Printer Some Interfaces Input Output ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

7. Speech for Computer Output Helps communicate the information to the individual in the form of natural, human sounding speech. But Speech as an output device Good News! Conversion of text into speech for Indian languages is now an advanced, proven technology available for different applications and platforms ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

8. How can Speech be of help to us? ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

9. Case in example… Uttar Pradesh • The most populous state in the country (16.4% of the country’s population) • The seventh most populous state in the world • Approx 80% of population lives in rural areas • Literacy is approx 40% (more than half of the population is illiterate) • Telecom density: 2.02 telephone / 100 people (Source :www.bsnl.co.in) • PC Density: Less than 6 PCs / 1000 people • Endowed with fertile land, salubrious-climate and mighty river systems • Produces 19% of India's food grains • 22% of India's vegetables • 38% of the nation's potatoes ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

10. The Problem • Approx. 80% of Uttar Pradesh lives in rural areas • Only 40% of our population is literate - Almost 60% are those who understand Hindi but can neither read nor write any language at all • While almost every village has access to a telephone, PCs still remain the tools of the rich and prosperous • Which means: • These initiatives will cater largely to 20% of UP which lives in cities • Even for work done in Hindi - almost 60% of UP will never be able to understand a single word since they cannot read nor write But why is that a problem? In Effect: E-Governance in UP will fail to provide the equality it aims for • We live in an information age – there is no alternative to greater computerisation of records, information, workplaces… • Intense computerisation being undertaken towards implementation of e-governance • Most computerisation efforts are Urban/English/Text centric… ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

11. Is there a solution? • Hindi specific • Able to get across to each person of the state • Able to cross barriers of Literacy/ Illiteracy, Sight/ Blindness • As easily accessible over telephones as over PCs • Helps to get over problems associated with computers: • Strain on eyes • Hard to learn • Unfamiliar language/ environment क्या हमारा कम्प्यूटर हम से हिन्दी में बात नहीं कर सकता???? ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

12. ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

13. Relevance to India • Speech Technology in Indian languages particularly relevant for grassroots ICT applications in India • large segments of India: illiterate, computer-unfamiliar, speech/ sight impaired, or print disabled • Indian Language speech: most natural, convenient and accessible communication medium for Indians • An effective facilitator for Indian Citizens • An essential component of E-Governancesolutions Speech technologies are slowly making a mark as the interface of the future for facilitating human/ computer interactions ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

14. How does this actually work???? ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

15. Telephone Based Information Systems ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

16. Possible… फसल जानकारी केन्द्र संख्या 111666 • फसलोत्पादन सम्बन्धित जानकारी के लिये 1 दबाए • कल्याणकारी योजना सम्बन्धित जानकारी के लिये 2 दबाए • बाजार भाव कीजानकारी के लिये 3 दबाए ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

17. Live Today… Railway Ticket Booking On Phone Client – OnMobile Asia Pacific, India Develop and deliver cutting-edge software solutions for the wireless Internet and mobile industry worldwide Key Features: • India’s first ever phone based Railway ticket booking application • Innovative speech enabled interface made possible with the help of OnMobile’s Indian accented speech recognition model and Prologix’s high performance Indian language Text to Speech software – Vaachak • Deployed on major wireless operator networks in India ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

18. Kiosk Based Information Systems ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

19. स्वास्थ्य जानकारी केन्द्र Possible… प्रवेश करें ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

20. स्वास्थ जानाकारी केन्द्र Possible… 1 2 3 • पोलियो सम्बन्धित जानकारी के लियेकृपया 1 दबायें • परिवार नियोजन सम्बन्धित जानकारी केलिये कृपया 2 दबायें • अपने नज़दीकी स्वास्थ्य केन्द्र की जानकारी के लिये कृपया 3 दबायें ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

21. Possible… धन्यवाद ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

22. Going Live Soon… Speech enabled Kiosks Government of Uttaranchal The Uttaranchal Portal Project plans to set up a network of over 2000 Speech enabled Kiosks in the state Key Features: • India’s first ever Indian language speech based Kiosk network • Immediate availability of all information present on the screen in the form of clear, natural sounding speech in Hindi ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

23. Web Information Reader Possible… ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

24. Real-time election news read-out Election Commission of India Key Features: Application to read-out of election updates posted on the Election Commission website in Hindi and English – in real time The first ever Indian solution to help read out information in English and Hindi on a website in speech format Uses audio streaming to deliver information in speech to even low-bandwith kiosks and Internet users Allows the Election Commission to cross the digital divide to make it’s information available to each and every citizen of India Of immense value to the illiterate and visually/ print impaired who would now be able to hear all the updates in their local language Can serve as a model for all future e-governance initiatives Live Today… ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

25. Desktop Reader ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

26. Reader for Visually impaired अस्ज अस्ज्द जस्द्जसस अस्लस्ज्ल्सलस लस्स स्ल्ज अस्क्स ल्ज्क्स्ल्द अस्ल्स्क्स स्द्ल्स्ल्क स्ल्क्स्द्ल ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

27. TTS Enabled Handheld Systems ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

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35. Self Service customer service applications, Unified messaging Voice Portals, eGovernance, Directory Services Education/ Literacy/ Screen reading solutions for the Illiterate/ Visually impaired Telematics/ Screen readout solutions for handhelds And the list is virtually limitless… Text to Speech ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

36. Indian Express 28 February 2005 Accolades ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

37. Accolades …In software itself, though there have been the most conspicuous successes, the field is limited only by our imagination — in that IT fair in Tokyo that I mentioned, I saw fine text-to-voice software that has been developed by a small software unit in Lucknow. It was receiving excellent reception in Japan. It can be used to quickly produce audio versions of books upon books for the visually impaired… - Mr. Arun Shourie, Indian Express, ‘When Sky is the Limit’, Aug 16, 2003 अद्भुत ... आविष्कारी... अविश्वसनीय... - अशोक चक्रधर, प्रसिद्ध हिन्दी लेखक एवं हास्य/ व्यंग्य कवि Vaachak is the finest Text to Speech software for Indian languages that we have ever seen in India - Mr. Dipendra Manocha, Head, Computer Unit, National Association for the Blind, India ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

38. Accolades The Economic Times, Corporate Dossier, 9 January 2004, India • Nasscom’s IT Innovation in India 2004 – one of 18 companies selected from all over India • Best of India Product showcase at Nasscom 2005 ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications

39. धन्यवाद दक्षिण से उत्तर की ओर पश्चिम से पूरब की ओर शहर से गाँव की ओर अंग्रेज़ी से भारतीय भाषाओं की ओर ॥ vinamra@prologixsoft.com www.vaachak.com ELITEX 2005 - ICT Technology for Grassroots Applications