Also known as speech-to-text, dictation software transcribes what a user says into text on their computer, allowing users to “type” without using a keyboard. Many programs also have voice commands that allow you to navigate, correct, and format the text you’ve entered.

Lots of factors contribute to how accurately a dictation program will be able to transcribe your words, from the program and microphone you’re using to your accent and pronunciation. Below are some general tips that should make whatever program you’re using more accurate:

Use an external microphone, not the one built-in to your phone or laptop
Speak clearly, at a consistent speed and volume
Try to stay at the same distance away from your microphone
Try to minimize background noise
Think through what you’re about to say before you start speaking
Just focus on getting your thoughts on the page at first; you can go back to correct and format the text later on

Text-to-speech software, or TTS, will read the text of documents and web pages aloud. Most have different voice options to choose from, and allow you to customize the speed and pitch of the voice. They can also highlight the word currently being read, allowing users to follow along visually.

Some users may find the computer-generated speech robotic and difficult to listen to at first, so it’s worth experimenting with different voice options, or downloading new voices from an app’s website. Voice quality has also improved drastically over the years, and will likely become even more natural in future.

Who can benefit?

People with low vision or who get eye strain from reading from a computer screen
People whose learning style is better suited to auditory or bimodal learning
Many TTS programs have the option to highlight the text as it’s read, which promotes multimodal learning.
People who struggle with reading comprehension or who are English language learners
People who prefer to multitask while reading

Screen readers are similar to TTS programs, but in addition to reading out documents and web pages, they also read out information about anything that’s displayed on the screen, such as the title of the active window, menu items, and form controls. Many also have support for use with refreshable Braille displays.

Screen readers also add keyboard shortcuts and touchscreen gestures that aid in navigating the computer, such as switching between windows and tabs or moving between the headings on a website, which allows users to operate their computer without using a mouse or looking at the screen.

Screen readers are also a cornerstone of accessibility testing, and multiple programs are often used when testing a website or program, since each one may behave slightly differently.

Screen magnifiers do just that, magnify everything on the computer screen, including toolbars, menus, and graphics that often can’t have their font size easily increased by other means. Some also offer related tools that make the computer easier to see, like screen tinting or color inversion to reduce eyestrain, and mouse and text cursor changes to make the cursor easier to track across the screen.

Who can benefit?

People who are blind or have low vision
People who get eyestrain from looking at unfiltered computer screens

Note-taking software is an informal category describing programs that provide a range of tools to aid in recording and organizing information. Features can include audio recording and transcription, text editing to add your own notes, tagging sections of audio or text for later review, and AI-generated summaries or quizzes on the recorded information.

Who can benefit?

People looking to improve their note-taking or organizational systems
People who are concerned about their focus wandering or not writing down important information during class
People who want to be fully engaged during lectures, instead of splitting their attention by taking notes