Online forms are everywhere.

From job applications and school admissions to healthcare, banking, insurance, customer feedback and government services, forms are one of the main ways people interact with organisations online.

But completing a form can be difficult for people who have challenges with typing, using a mouse, navigating complex interfaces or processing large amounts of information.

That is where voice technology can offer a different way to interact.

Forms can create unnecessary barriers

A conventional online form can require users to click between fields, type answers, navigate dropdown menus and correct mistakes manually.

For someone with a motor disability, visual impairment, cognitive difference or difficulty using a keyboard, this process can become frustrating and time-consuming.

Research into accessible form interfaces has shown the potential value of alternative interaction methods. One study involving people with visual impairments found that an accessible web-form interface enabled participants to populate more fields and reported a better user experience than the existing approach.

Voice interaction provides another option.

Introducing the Intelligent Voice Companion

The Intelligent Voice Companion from Accessibility Toolbar allows users to complete online forms using their voice, without needing to type their answers or tab through endless fields.

The technology can automatically detect questions within a form and guide the user through them conversationally.

Instead of working through each field independently, the user can simply answer questions aloud, much like having a conversation.

Answers appear in a live side panel, allowing users to see what has been captured as they progress.

Built for different types of forms

The technology can be used across many of the forms organisations rely on every day, including:

• Job applications
• Registration forms
• Order forms
• Feedback forms
• Surveys
• Contact forms
• Education and admissions forms
• Medical forms
• Consent forms
• Complaint forms

That makes voice-enabled form completion relevant across a wide range of sectors.

Healthcare providers, financial services companies, insurers, universities, recruitment businesses, government organisations, retailers, telecommunications companies, charities and many other organisations all rely on digital forms to collect information.

More than speech-to-text

The Intelligent Voice Companion is designed around a conversational experience rather than simply dictating text into individual fields.

Users can ask for answers to be changed if they make a mistake or change their mind. Before submission, the Companion provides a guided review, reading back the answers and giving the user an opportunity to confirm or request changes.

It also supports more than 50 languages, allowing users to interact in their preferred language while generating answers in English with spelling and grammar support.

A more flexible way to complete forms

Voice interaction can give people another way to access essential online services.

It can be particularly useful for people who find typing difficult, but the potential benefits extend beyond disability access. Anyone using a mobile device, dealing with temporary limitations or simply preferring voice interaction may find conversational form completion easier.

Voice interfaces are an evolving area of accessibility research, and organisations such as the W3C continue to examine both the opportunities and accessibility considerations associated with conversational interfaces.

For businesses, making forms easier to complete can mean a better user experience and fewer barriers between customers, applicants, patients, students and essential services.Want to make your online forms easier to complete using voice? Discover the Intelligent Voice Companion from Accessibility Toolbar and see how it can help users complete forms hands-free: Intelligent Voice Companion.