Text to speech, or TTS, is software that reads digital copy (text) on your website aloud, so that your visitors can listen to your content instead of/as well as reading it from the screen. The concept of TTS is not a new one, but should be utilised on as many websites as possible to improve the accessibility of your information and products for your users.
Extend the reach of your content – by giving access to your content to a greater population, such as users with literacy difficulties, learning disabilities, reduced vision and those learning a language. It also improves accessibility and enhances user experience, simply facilitating better access to your website for a larger percentage of the online population.
Improved Accessibility – did you know that 15-20 % of the world’s population has a form of language-based learning disability and 1.5 million in the UK have learning disability? People with learning disabilities who have difficulty reading large amounts of text due to dyslexia or other problems really benefit from TTS, offering them an easier option for experiencing website content.
Facilitate all Learning Styles – unsurprisingly, often a combination of visual, audible and kinaesthetic learning styles is most effective when absorbing and learning. For your website visitors to better engage and absorb your content, providing multiple ways to interact with your site will allow your users to more easily comprehend and retain information by appealing to learning all styles.
Improved Convenience – with a population frequently looking to get information faster and easier, and often optimise their time by multitasking, TTS can turn any digital content into a multimedia experience. This means they can listen to your news and blogs, (to name just two!) on the go which will have a positive influence on your engagement. Convenience is king when it comes to web and mobile web user experience!
Better Mobile UX – For those who access content on mobile devices (an ever increasing number), reading a lot of content in a single paragraph or on a page is not always easy on small screens. For them, having text-to-speech software doing the work is much easier. It allows people to get the information they want without the inconvenience of a lot of scrolling, losing their place on the page or accidentally miss-clicking a button. It’s also hands free!
"*" indicates required fields
"*" indicates required fields