This book is a comprehensive and authoritative guide to voice user interface (VUI) design. The VUI is perhaps the most critical factor in the success of any automated speech recognition (ASR) system, determining whether the user experience will be satisfying or frustrating, or even whether the customer will remain one. This book describes a practical methodology for creating an effective VUI design. The methodology is scientifically based on principles in linguistics, psychology, and language technology, and is illustrated here by examples drawn from the authors' work at Nuance Communications, the market leader in ASR development and deployment. The book begins with an overview of VUI design issues and a description of the technology. The authors then introduce the major phases of their methodology. They first show how to specify requirements and make high-level design decisions during the definition phase. They next cover, in great detail, the design phase, with clear explanations and demonstrations of each design principle and its real-world applications. Finally, they examine problems unique to VUI design in system development, testing, and tuning. Key principles are illustrated with a running sample application. A companion Web site provides audio clips for each example: www.VUIDesign.org The cover photograph depicts the first ASR system, Radio Rex: a toy dog who sits in his house until the sound of his name calls him out. Produced in 1911, Rex was among the few commercial successes in earlier days of speech recognition. Voice User Interface Design reveals the design principles and practices that produce commercial success in an era when effective ASRs are not toys but competitive necessities.

Voice user interfaces (VUIs) are becoming all the rage today. But how do you build one that people can actually converse with? Whether you’re designing a mobile app, a toy, or a device such as a home assistant, this practical book guides you through basic VUI design principles, helps you choose the right speech recognition engine, and shows you how to measure your VUI’s performance and improve upon it. Author Cathy Pearl also takes product managers, UX designers, and VUI designers into advanced design topics that will help make your VUI not just functional, but great.Understand key VUI design concepts, including command-and-control and conversational systemsDecide if you should use an avatar or other visual representation with your VUIExplore speech recognition technology and its impact on your designTake your VUI above and beyond the basic exchange of informationLearn practical ways to test your VUI application with usersMonitor your app and learn how to quickly improve performanceGet real-world examples of VUIs for home assistants, smartwatches, and car systems

When you depend on users to perform specific actions—like buying tickets, playing a game, or riding public transit—well-placed words are most effective. But how do you choose the right words? And how do you know if they work? With this practical book, you’ll learn how to write strategically for UX, using tools to build foundational pieces for UI text and UX voice strategy. UX content strategist Torrey Podmajersky provides strategies for converting, engaging, supporting, and re-attracting users. You’ll use frameworks and patterns for content, methods to measure the content’s effectiveness, and processes to create the collaboration necessary for success. You’ll also structure your voice throughout so that the brand is easily recognizable to its audience. Learn how UX content works with the software development lifecycle Use a framework to align the UX content with product principles Explore content-first design to root UX text in conversation Learn how UX text patterns work with different voices Produce text that’s purposeful, concise, conversational, and clear

Complete Guide to Federal and State Garnishment provides much-needed clarity when the federal and state laws appear to conflict. You'll find plain-English explanations of the laws and how they interact, as well as the specific steps you and your staff need to take to respond to the order properly. Numerous detailed examples and mathematical calculations make it easy to apply the law under different scenarios. Written by Amorette Nelson Bryant, who was recently appointed by the Uniform Law Commission as an observer for the Drafting Committee on a Wage Garnishment Act and was a past chair of both the APA GATF Child Support Subcommittee and Garnishment Subcommittee, Complete Guide to Federal and State Garnishment brings the payroll professional up-to-date on the latest federal and state laws and regulations affecting this ever-changing area. It is your one-stop source for answers to critical questions, such as: Does the amount exempt from garnishment change when the minimum wage goes up? How do I determine the wages to which the garnishment applies? If an employee is subject to more than one garnishment, which has priority? Which state's rules do I use when I receive a child support order sent from another state? State or federal law - which applies for creditor garnishment and support? Are there alternatives to remitting withheld child support via EFT/EDI? How do I handle garnishments when employees are paid a draw against salary? Previous Edition: Complete Guide to Federal and State Garnishment, 2019 Edition, ISBN 9781454899921

This book was first published in 2015. Since then, the Wi-Fi technology has evolved tremendously. This 2020 edition has important updates about security. Once hackers take control of your Wi-Fi router, they can attack connected devices such as phones, laptops, computers! Fortunately, it is easy to harden the defense of your home network. There are important steps you should take in order to protect your connected devices. An exhaustive catalog of the latest home security devices has been updated in this 2020 edition. Why would you spend a lot of money to have a home security system installed when you can do it yourself! A chapter about health risks has also been added. Are EMF radiations safe? We regularly post updates on our site http://mediastimulus.com such as security alerts and the latest in Wi-Fi technology. Your feedback is always welcome http://mediastimulus.com/contact/

This is the eBook of the printed book and may not include any media, website access codes, or print supplements that may come packaged with the bound book. The much-anticipated fifth edition of Designing the User Interface provides a comprehensive, authoritative introduction to the dynamic field of human-computer interaction (HCI). Students and professionals learn practical principles and guidelines needed to develop high quality interface designs—ones that users can understand, predict, and control. It covers theoretical foundations, and design processes such as expert reviews and usability testing. Numerous examples of direct manipulation, menu selection, and form fill-in give readers an understanding of excellence in design The new edition provides updates on current HCI topics with balanced emphasis on mobile devices, Web, and desktop platforms. It addresses the profound changes brought by user-generated content of text, photo, music, and video and the raised expectations for compelling user experiences. Provides a broad survey of designing, implementing, managing, maintaining, training, and refining the user interface of interactive systems. Describes practical techniques and research-supported design guidelines for effective interface designs Covers both professional applications (e.g. CAD/CAM, air traffic control) and consumer examples (e.g. web services, e-government, mobile devices, cell phones, digital cameras, games, MP3 players) Delivers informative introductions to development methodologies, evaluation techniques, and user-interface building tools. Supported by an extensive array of current examples and figures illustrating good design principles and practices. Includes dynamic, full-color presentation throughout. Guides students who might be starting their first HCI design project Accompanied by a Companion Website with additional practice opportunities and informational resources for both students and professors.

Django, the Python-based Web development framework, is one of the hottest topics in Web development today. Its creator (and co-author of this book) Adrian Holovaty has built a compelling array of Web applications using Django, including http://chicagocrime.org. Django creator Adrian Holovaty and lead developer Jacob Kaplan-Moss have created this book as the definitive guide to the technology. Beginning with fundamentals such as installation and configuration, the book tackles sophisticated features of Django, such as outputting non-HTML content such as RSS feeds and PDFs, caching, and user management. Also includes a detailed reference to Django’s many configuration options and commands.