Introducing Sydney Toning Circles

Following on from our World Voice Day Event last month, I am excited to announce preliminary details for two Sydney-based Vocal Toning Circles starting early June 2012.

Vocal Toning is an opportunity to develop a healthier and happier relationship with your own voice and with the voices of others in your life. In each session We will explore together through vocal sound, how our voices can consciously be engaged as powerful instruments of love, healing and harmony.

Over the six Toning Circle sessions you will be introduced to the fundamentals of Vocal Toning for meditation, health and harmony. As the sessions progress more advanced toning techniques will be covered, providing you with a variety of voice-based meditative techniques for relaxation, and self healing. Each session, one of the circle participants will be the focal point of the group providing an opportunity to experience focused healing toning from other circle members.

Where and When

The Toning Circles will be held at my home in Surry Hills, just a few minutes walk from Central Station, starting around 7:30 and finishing before 9pm. If there are sufficient numbers, there will be two concurrent Toning Circles and participants are required to attend the same Toning Circle each fortnight for continuity and group cohesion.

Each Toning Circle will run for 6 evenings in total, one each fortnight. The first will commence on the evening of Tuesday 5 June 2012, going through until the evening of Tuesday 14 August.

The second Toning Circle will commence on the evening of Thursday 14 June 2012 and run through until Thursday 23 August.

Free Info Session and Expressions of Interest

If you were unable to attend our World Voice Day Event, or would like more information, you may wish to attend a Free Vocal Toning Introductory Session, planned for the evening of Thursday 24 May 2012.

The cost for all six Vocal Toning Sessions is $120.

Please email me if you are interested in coming along to the Free Introductory Session, or with your preferred Toning Circle evening (Tuesday or Thursday) to confirm your interest in participating.

Vocally Yours
Tim Noonan

A Note about Vocal Toning

Vocal Toning is the elongation of a sound using the breath and voice no matter the quality or pitch of the sound. Unlike singing and speaking, vocal toning frees us of judgment or assessment of the sound, instead focusing our attention on the quality of our intention. When toning we principally use our voice to produce extended vowel sounds, outside the constraints of words, pitch and rhythm.

Vocal toning isn’t reliant on any particular religious beliefs, though it does draw upon ancient wisdom regarding sound across cultures and sacred texts.

About Tim Noonan

Tim Noonan is a voice consultant and lecturer, inspirational conference speaker and the founder of Vocal Branding Australia.

Tim has a degree in Cognitive Psychology and Education, with a particular focus on how people process and comprehend auditory information. A lifelong student, his formal studies also include a Diploma of Remedial Massage Therapy, a Certificate in Relaxation Hypnosis and extensive studies in energetic & sound healing.

Tim Noonan is a professional listener and the creator of the Vocal Consciousness approach – strategies and techniques which promote vocal understanding; foster expressive speaking and nurture insightful listening. As a person blind from birth, Tim has learnt to listen for countless vocal cues that reveal so much more than the casual listener is aware of; and once enlightened, your way of speaking and listening will change forever.

Tim conducts personalised voice and presentation skills sessions as well as providing a variety of corporate voice strategy services to business.

“Next time @TimNoonan does a toning workshop y’all must turn up… for your soul.” - Mariette RupsDonnelly

If you weren’t able to Come along to this unique event held in Darlinghurst, Sydney to lend your voice for greater peace, health and harmony for yourself, your community and for our planet, we are planning more workshops and Toning Circles of its kind, so please email us if you are interested.

This recorded interview with Tim Noonan touches on some ideas presented in his World Voice Day Presentation.

“Tim, thanks for a great session – it really stimulated some thought – oh and got me chanting like a shaman in the mornings!” - David Scott

[The key content from the original article follows.]

Event Overview

This event coinciding with World Voice Day is an opportunity to develop a healthier and happier relationship with your own voice and with the voices of others in your life. Building on World Voice Day’s original theme of promoting voice care and vocal health, we take this idea to a higher level, as we explore together through vocal sound, how our voices can consciously be engaged as powerful instruments of love, healing and harmony.

World Voice Day on April 16 is a day when organizations around the world join together to encourage good voice habits. The theme for World Voice Day 2012, “Your Voice Counts,” reminds us that our voice is essential for our daily activities—at home, at work, and even when we’re relaxing with friends and family.

When: Monday 16 April 2012, 7-8:30PM
Cost: This is a Gold Coin Donation event. Money raised will be donated to The Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation for their Speech Pathology Unit.
RSVP: vocalbranding@gmail.com
Sponsor: This event is sponsored by Vocal Branding Australia, a voice consulting company committed to the ethical and authentic use of voice in business. Thanks also to Voice Teacher Leigh Pyman who provided information on voice care and vocal load.

The session will open with a brief attentive listening meditation using crystal singing bowls, followed by a contemplative presentation led by vocal researcher Tim Noonan on the magic and mystery of the human voice and how we can be more mindful, authentic and loving in its use.

As a group, Tim will then guide us through a range of short vocal toning and sound balancing meditations designed to open and free-up our true sound, promoting health, happiness and harmony in our lives and the lives of others.

A Note about Vocal Toning

Vocal Toning is the elongation of a sound using the breath and voice no matter the quality or pitch of the sound. Unlike singing and speaking, vocal toning frees us of judgment or assessment of the sound, instead focusing our attention on the quality of our intention. When toning we principally use our voice to produce extended vowel sounds, outside the constraints of words, pitch and rhythm.

Vocal toning isn’t reliant on any particular religious beliefs, though it does draw upon ancient wisdom regarding sound across cultures and sacred texts.

About Tim Noonan

Tim Noonan is a voice consultant and lecturer, inspirational conference speaker and the founder of Vocal Branding Australia.

Tim has a degree in Cognitive Psychology and Education, with a particular focus on how people process and comprehend auditory information. A lifelong student, his formal studies also include a Diploma of Remedial Massage Therapy, a Certificate in Relaxation Hypnosis and extensive studies in energetic & sound healing.

Tim Noonan is a professional listener and the creator of the Vocal Consciousness approach – strategies and techniques which promote vocal understanding; foster expressive speaking and nurture insightful listening. As a person blind from birth, Tim has learnt to listen for countless vocal cues that reveal so much more than the casual listener is aware of; and once enlightened, your way of speaking and listening will change forever.

Tim conducts personalised voice and presentation skills sessions as well as providing a variety of corporate voice strategy services to business.

Your Voice, Your Business, Your Brand.

Audience/Industry/Topic: Corporate Leadership; PR, Branding, Advertising, Marketing and Design; Customer Service; Call Centre Operations.

Presentation Style: Corporate, Authoritative, Innovative, Challenging Traditional Branding Assumptions.

“Whether you are representing yourself, or are part of a major corporation, you are expressing and defining your brand every single time you speak.”

The human voice is the most overlooked and underutilized corporate resource in Australia! Every company knows how it’s supposed to look, but do you know how your company should sound? Corporations invest billions on prescribing and enforcing their visual branding (which ensures brand recognition), however it is the Corporate Voice of your organization, and every one of its representatives, which is the key to building and maintaining trusted brand relationships.

Tim’s messages and techniques around Vocal Branding, Voice, Leadership, Brand Messages, Authenticity and Trust are as applicable to Multinationals, as they are to Call Centers, Educators, Tech Start Ups and Sales Teams. There is no better way to build trust and create brand loyalty than through the strategic and purposeful use of voice throughout your organization.

Presentation Take Homes Includes Strategies to:

• Intensify the emotional engagement of your brand;
• Boost your message’s power and impact by as much as 38 percent;
• Captivate, engage and retain more people, authentically and in more ways.
• As well as a complimentary copy of Tim’s Ebook “Your Voice is Your Business: 7 Voice Strategies for Vocal Brilliance” for each delegate.

Vocal Authenticity and Insightful Listening

Audience/Industry/Topic: Speaking and Presenting Skills; Auctioneers, Educators, Listening Strategies; General Team Building; General Business Communications; Personal Development.

Presentation Style: Inspirational, Entertaining, Informative, Interactive.

“The human voice is the most influential sound on the planet”

Tim Noonan is a professional listener and the creator of the Vocal Consciousness approach – strategies and techniques which promote vocal understanding; foster expressive speaking and nurture insightful listening. As a person blind from birth, Tim has learnt to listen for countless vocal cues that reveal so much more than the casual listener is aware of; and once enlightened, your way of speaking and listening will change forever.

After this presentation you will have a range of strategies and practical techniques for speaking with more clarity, confidence and compassion and skills for listening to others with greater recall, depth and understanding.

This Session Will Include:

• How to use your own voice to create more meaningful and trusting connections with others – personally and in business;
• Some helpful recommendations about voice care and vocal load;
• An opportunity for one or two audience members to receive an on-stage vocological reading by Tim; giving them fresh insight into their potentialities and aspirations. The insights revealed from Tim’s voice readings entertainingly show just how much detail and information is embodied in each human voice;
• Exploration of the inevitable and essential relationships that exist between Voice and Likeability; Voice and Authenticity; and most important of all, Voice and Trust;
• Each delegate will receive a complimentary copy of Tim’s Ebook “Your Voice is Your Business: 7 Voice Strategies for Vocal Brilliance”.

Sound Design: Technology That Talks

Audience/Industry/Topic: Technology Innovation; User Experience (UX) Designers; Disability and Accessibility; Psychologists; Software and Telephony Developers; Mobile Applications Development.

Presentation Style: Technical, Authoritative, World Class Expert.

“When you’re eyes need to be on the road ahead of you, or are otherwise occupied, sound is paramount”

For the last 25 years Tim has been leading the way in teaching, conceptualizing and designing technologies that communicate with users through voice and sound for accessibility and mainstream clients. Some of these services include automated telephone systems, phone based voting and banking, voice enabled ATMs, smart phone application design, self-voicing in-car technologies and more.

Building on his background in cognitive psychology and through the use of case studies and audio samples Tim shares his unique understandings around elegant and efficient voice user interface design. He highlights the crucial differences between screen based and sound based application design and concludes with his key recommendations for creating a killer voice app that speaks for itself.

• Each delegate will receive a link to detailed notes for the presentation including key points covered in the session.

Jobs’s legacy includes accessible software for disabled people

Source: Canberra Times (Australia)-October 9, 2011

By: Graham Downie

A largely overlooked aspect of Steve Jobs’s legacy is the emphasis he placed on making Apple’s products accessible to people with disabilities.

At first glance, the iPhone, with almost no tactile controls, seems the antithesis to a usable product for people who are blind or who have limited sight. But it is fast becoming the phone of choice for many such people. This is because every iPhone includes software designed specifically for people who cannot see the screen.

When activated, a synthetic voice speaks the function touched by a finger. Gestures are used to control the phone. Some users acknowledge that some learning is necessary and that the phone is not suitable for everyone.

Synthetic speech combined with sophisticated screen reading technology has made everyday computers usable by people with limited or no sight. However, this software is relatively expensive.

Apple includes what it calls VoiceOver in all of its new Mac computers. It claims VoiceOver is full-featured screen access technology which rivals the best screen readers for Windows. This claim is not universally accepted, but it is significant that a manufacturer supplies this type of software in a range of its products, including the iPhone, iPod and iPad.

Meanwhile, many appliances are becoming increasingly difficult for about 20 per cent of Australians to use.

Voice Technology Designer and managing director of Vocal Branding Australia Tim Noonan describes these people as the overlooked consumers. He says that since 1992, guidelines have been available explaining the issues and approaches needed to make consumer electronics accessible to people with disabilities. But until recently and even today most products are still inaccessible.

Noonan, who is blind, uses an iPhone. He says Apple’s unprecedented incorporation of VoiceOver on the Mac and in the iPhone exemplifies Apple’s and Steve Jobs’s visionary understanding of inclusion and participation in modern society by as many user communities as possible.

“But until the announcement of the iPhone 4s, Voiceover really only solved half of the accessibility challenge for blind users; but with the forthcoming Siri assistant and voice dictation, Apple has again delivered, by providing efficient and intuitive voice input and control of the iPhone.” Noonan says the latest iPhone will be the game changer for blind people. He says it is the first commercial device to intelligently bring together voice and visual interfaces within a mobile communications device.

Meanwhile, those overlooked consumers can have difficulty using some modern washing machines, changing the channel on a television, adjusting the temperature of house heating or cooling, setting the alarm on a clock radio and operating microwave ovens.

So many of these and other products are operated by viewing a menu on a screen. Others have tiny controls which are difficult if not impossible for people with reduced dexterity to use.

An exception is a television set- top box, not yet commercially available, which provides voice guidance including television programs. The same cannot be said for digital radios available in Australia.

Specialised software is available to some smart phones but to date it does not give access to many of the aps on which people will increasingly depend. Therefore the commitment by Apple and Jobs is commendable.

We are often asked for examples of how Vocal Branding is enhancing brands and voice-based communication between businesses and their customers.

Here are a range of Vocal Branding case studies and projects we’ve been working on at Vocal Branding Australia:

• Voice Design Presentation/Workshop for Stamford Interactive
• Audio Logo Development and Brand Consulting for Media Access Australia
• Telephone IVR and After Hours Call Centre Recordings for Mode Facilities Management
• NSW Electoral Commission’s iVote Telephone and Online Voting Initiative
• NSW Department of Health
• Australian Electoral Commission Telephone Voting Standard
• Leading Property Auctioneering Company
• Solotel Hotel Group Staff-Training Video
• Community Service Announcement for Royal Far West Children’s Charity
• Vocal Branding Audit of the Leading Telephone Dating Service in Australia

Voice Design Presentation/Workshop for Stamford Interactive

We recently delivered a 2.5 hour interactive presentation/workshop for Stamford Interactive exploring the emerging area of voice interaction and design for mobile devices such as the iPhone and iPad.

It’s exciting to see voice interaction and mobile accessibility gain greater attention and interest in the usability and UX field.

“On behalf of the Sydney team, thanks again for coming round to give us first hand examples of your mobile experience and accessibility knowledge. We loved the presentation and discussions and I’ve received very positive feedback on your behalf. We hope to continue the conversation soon.” – Joseph Ortenzi, Senior User Experience Consultant

Please Contact Us if you would like us to present a tailored workshop for your organisation.

Audio Logo Development and Brand Consulting for Media Access Australia

We recently worked with Media Access Australia to assist them in their corporate brand refresh including market research, brand strategy, development and implementation.

Vocal Branding Australia conceptualised and developed an Audio Logo for Media Access Australia designed to express their brand values through sound, and create a memorable audio association with the organisation. This Audio Logo has been incorporated in a variety of MAA’s media including: their website, educational videos and podcasts.

Listen to Media Access Australia's Audio Logo

Telephone IVR and After Hours Call Centre Recordings for Mode Facilities Management

A recent example of our phone message recording services is the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Vocal Branding Australia developed for Mode Facilities Management. This service included after hours emergency call handling and personalised voicemail greeting for key staff.

This job included:

• Reviewing and tuning the client’s draft script (proposed wordings);
• Insuring compliance; with the Australian and New Zealand IVR Standard;
• Sourcing voice talent to match the client’s brand and image;
• Vocal direction and script recording.

NSW Electoral Commission’s iVote Telephone and Online Voting Initiative

Earlier in 2010 the NSW Premier announced the State’s intention to provide blind and vision impaired voters with an independent and secret vote in the 2011 NSW State election. the NSW Electeral Commission subsequently embarked on iVote, comprising iVote by Phone, an automated telephone-based voting service principally for blind and low vision voters, as well as iVote by Web, an internet-based voting system, for voters with disabilities and also those electors outside NSW on poling day or who did not live close to NSW poling centres.

Vocal Branding Australia was engaged by the NSW Electoral Commission as the Lead voice Usability designer and Accessibility expert for the iVote project.

“The fully automated IVote system used in NSW is superior to any other we have seen in an Australian election so far, and voters have clearly endorsed the system by using it in greater numbers than ever before. We will be working towards encouraging this system as the gold standard for future elections. [Vocal Branding Australia was engaged as the voice-user interface designer for IVote].” - Marianne Diamond, Vision Australia

In 2011 iVote was issued with Vision Australia’s Making A Difference Award.

Vocal Branding Australia’s extensive iVote involvement over an intense 9 month period included:

• Conceptual design and comprehensive scripting of wording for iVote by Phone;

• Preparation of functional software design specifications;

• Development of automation systems and processes for processing audio, automating text-to-speech and maximising audio quality;

• Researching recording studio options and recommending a studio Twenty5Eight who we worked with for the extensive and highly time-critical voice recording requirements of the iVote project;

• Preparation of a Vocal Branding profile for each of the three key ‘voices’ required for iVote which we used to cast voice talent;

• Meticulous vocal direction of voice talent for the recording of hundreds of prompts and nearly 1000 candidate names;

• Provided in-house Voiceover and audio production services for iVote promos;

• Consulting to the Commission on promotional strategy to maximise the uptake of iVote by people with disabilities;

• Web Accessibility and usability services including design recommendations, access consulting, conducting observational usability studies and ensuring web accessibility compliance in conjunction with Scenario Seven Pty Ltd;

• Designing and conducting observational usability design studies for iVote by Phone;

• Production of a brief promotional educational IVote Youtube Video in conjunction with The Wheel Agency;

• Conducting several radio and TV interviews explaining and promoting iVote and its significance for people with disabilities.

Watch the iVote Youtube Video Here

Listen to the 5RPH Interview About iVote Here

NSW Department of Health

Vocal Branding Australia worked closely with the Department to define a clear brand voice, develop a Vocal Branding strategy and support the implementation of the harmonisation/integration of a previously regionalised telephone health service throughout the State.

We conducted all the voice-related aspects of the project including:

• In-depth strategic Vocal Branding analysis of the integrated service;
• Creating and refining call-flows and telephone scripts;
• Identifying and sourcing the best Brand Voice to naturally reflect the service values;
• In-studio voice direction;
• Audio editing and post production tasks;
• User experience research involving the development of a usability survey and a more detailed ethnographic study on the prototype service.

Australian Electoral Commission Telephone Voting Standard

In 2010 Tim Noonan was engaged by the Electoral Council of Australia to research and develop an automated Telephone Voting Usability Standard to provide a flexible and consistent experience for voting in elections via the standard telephone.

This Standard is applicable to Federal, State and Local elections, as well as for Industrial elections which are conducted on a fee-for-service basis by the Australian Electoral Commission.

Version 1 of Australian Telephone Voting Standard in PDF

This initiative is an international first, and builds on Tim’s previous work developing a Standard for accessible telephone banking services for the Australian Bankers’ Association and his key authoring and involvement in the Standards Australia Interactive Voice Response and Speech Recognition Australian Standards.

Since publication of version 1 of the Telephone Voting Standard, it has now been applied to a real-world automated telephone voting environment after being adopted by the NSW Electoral Commission and substantially enhanced by Vocal Branding Australia and the Commission in its 2011 iVote telephone voting project.

In 2011 Vocal Branding Australia was engaged to review and comprehensively update this standard to incorporate the numerous learnings from the iVote implementation, however the updated document is still awaiting industry review and publication.

In 2010 Vocal Branding Australia also assisted the Commission in writing and refining call centre scripts associated with phone-assisted voting support activities.

Leading Property Auctioneering Company

We worked with one of the leading auctioneering companies to develop their corporate Vocal Brand to create greater trust in their services and to positively set them apart from their competition.

We have also been working with this client to develop a company-wide voice care program, to ensure that all staff know how to protect and develop their most vital asset – their voice!

Solotel Hotel Group Staff-Training Video

In 2010 we partnered with Jason Jelicich of jasonj.com.au to refine the scripts for, and direct staff narration for two in-house staff training videos.

The client determined that they wanted real staff to deliver authentic messages to their new and advancing employees, so we took our mobile recording equipment to the workplace and captured a natural-sounding spoken soundtrack for the project that supported their corporate brand.

Community Service Announcement for Royal Far West Children’s Charity

Vocal Branding Australia worked with Royal Far West, a NSW-based children’s charity to develop the vocal branding strategy, including voice talent direction for a television commercial to be played as a Customer Service Announcement.

The aim was to produce a contemporary soundtrack with authentic voices and to respectfully convey emotionally rich messages to their potential donors and sponsors.

Vocal Branding Audit of the Leading Telephone Dating Service in Australia

Maxus recently engaged Vocal Branding Australia to undertake a detailed Vocal Branding audit of the leading telephone dating service in Australia.

The audit included a range of distinct elements presented in an interactive workshop for Maxus and the client.

• Competitor analysis;
• Exploration of online trends and how they are increasingly impacting phone-centric services;
• The vocal branding ‘fit’ between the scripts and voices used in service advertising and the ‘voice’ of the phone dating service itself;
• Analysis of callers including their use of the service and their attitudes towards it and to one another.
• Consideration of service features, technological developments and recommendations on future service shaping and expansion.

Please contact us to find out how Vocal Branding Australia can strengthen your spoken communications with customers, staff and clients.

What is The Expressive Voice Agency?

The Expressive Voice Agency is a business unit of Vocal Branding Australia

The Expressive Voice Agency covers the following:

1.     Auditioning fresh new voices as well as established voice artists for our expanding family of authentic naturally expressive voices. These are matched with brands to support the production of spoken word products;

2.     Providing voices or sourcing specific voices for clients of Vocal Branding Australia;

3.  Provision of some limited on-site voice recording (spoken word only) and audio post production services.

The Expressive Voice Agency isn’t the same as most voice agencies you might be familiar with:

•    Firstly, we mainly provide voices to clients of our parent company Vocal Branding Australia, rather than publishing an array of voices and profiles on the web. Our approach is to supply the client with a tailored selection of the ‘right voices, to marry with their brands. This is an element of Vocal Branding Australia’s unique Brand Voice matching service. We don’t make our voices available searchable online.

•    Secondly our emphasis and specialty is naturally expressive voices – we focus far less on vocal versatility, pretend accents and roles, than we do on the natural voice of the talent.  If we need an accent, we endeavor to find a native speaker of the language or location in question, if we need a child, we use a child, everything we do at Expressive Voice Agency is designed to ensure authenticity and natural vocal expression is reflected all the way through the branding process.

•    Thirdly, we include voices from difference experience levels ranging from established recognizable voice talent through to fresh voices which have low saturation in the marketplace.

Auditioning

If you wish to audition please download and complete the following form then email the completed word document plus any audio samples to vocalbranding@gmail.com

Note: You may need to right click on the form to save it to your computer.

Expressive Voice Agency Audition Form  

When was the last time you really paid attention to how the Voices of your business sound, and the effect they have on your customers and clients? In many instances, the voices used in your business are literally your brand.

Unless you’re online-only, every company, Government department or small business speaks with its customers in one way or another, but we rarely think about just how crucial the sound of voices are for engaging and influencing our customers and for building trust and brand loyalty.

All management and most employees in your organisation probably know how your brand should look, but if you were to ask them “how should our brand Sound?’ you may recieve hesitant and perplexed looks. A Vocal Branding (voice) Audit reports on how your business sounds at the moment, and delivers practical research-based recommendations on how your brand could (or should) sound, to reinforce your visual branding and strengthen sales.

“The way a brand sounds is extremely important. After all, as a consumer, we want to know if that brand sounds like elements of us and holds our values. Is it an auditory brand that we trust because it sounds like someone we relate to? We buy from people we trust, so hearing someone’s voice representing a company or selling to us is just the same. It’s one of the most important and overlooked areas of marketing. Get it right, and your turnover will multiply.” - Sara Mendes da Costa, the current voice of the BT Speaking Clock

What is a Voice Audit?

A voice audit is a bit like mystery shopping, where we investigate and report back on how positively and effectively your service or organisation is presently employing voice across its different communication channels.

Voice audits can include consideration of

• automated telephone services,
• switchboard/reception staff,
• ‘on hold’ messages,
• call centre style and quality standards,
• sales and support staff’s phone manner,
• executive outgoing voicemail greetings,
• the vocal style of official and unofficial media spokespeople for your organisation,
• and of course, the use of voices who represent your organisation, in radio, TV and online advertising.

Speak with us about how a Vocal Branding Audit can improve your sales and customer relations.

A Voice Audit Case Study

As an example, Vocal Branding Australia was recently commissioned to do a Vocal Branding audit of Australia’s leading telephone dating service, including short, medium and long-term strategy recommendations, explored through an interactive workshop-style presentation to management.

What Does a Voice Audit Bring to Your Business?

The high level benefit of a Voice Audit is to strengthen customer relations and increase sales by:

1. Helping you identify any spoken word communications areas in your organisation requiring attention;
2. Establishing a baseline reference for the way voice is currently being used in your organisation so you can measure improvements;
3. Providing you with recommended next steps and a preliminary unified voice strategy for your organisation.

Contact us or call us on 0419 779 669 about how a Vocal Branding Audit can improve your sales and customer relations.

This Voice Poll is now closed, but you can still leave a comment on this article.

Because of my experience in vocal analysis, several people have asked me about the voice of our (Australia’s) current Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. In particular,

is Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s voice an assett or a liability for her and her Party in the up-coming election?

There has been quite a lot of discussion online and in the media about Julia’s distinctive voice and her broad speaking style, so I thought it would be interesting and informative to run a simple poll to find out what you think …

Disclaimer: These polls are not scientific and reflect the opinion only of visitors who have chosen to participate.

Feel free to leave a comment on this post with your thoughts and reactions to the voice of our Prime Minister, and on voices in general.

Vocally yours
Tim Noonan

VocalPoint Research is a division of Vocal Branding Australia.

In this 2 August 2010 Mobile Monday Sydney presentation I

• Briefly cover the current state-of-play in mobile device accessibility;
• Demonstrate and discuss Apple’s VoiceOver accessibility software for blind and low vision users that is built into iOS devices such as the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad;
• Explain how and why it is a good move to ensure your iOS apps are accessible;
• Finish by speaking about the benefits of including more audio and human voice content in your mobile apps for all your users.

Accessibility for Non-Apple Devices

In this presentation I am principally focusing on Apple and VoiceOver, but accessibility is gradually improving for Android devices. It’s still early days, but this Android Accessibility Documentation covers the fundamentals.

There is also Oratio a (rather expensive) commercially-available screenreading solution for current BlackBerry® devices.

Commercial Screenreaders for Symbian Series 60 phones are in wide usage, and there are commercial screenreading products for Windows Mobile devices as well.

But in the mobile space, ‘hands down’, Apple has demonstrated an ever-growing commitment to equal access and has delivered the most comprehensive access to any portable devices in history, and at no extra charge for the user.

Untill now, the lion’s share of blind people with accessible mobile devices have used Symbian (Nokia) devices, but online discussion trends indicate that this is rapidly shifting to iOS devices, especially as older phones and contracts expire.

VoiceOver Screen Reader and Zoom

VoiceOver is Apple’s innovative screen-reading technology, which gives users control over their devices without having to see the screen. VoiceOver does this by acting as an intermediary between an application’s user interface and the user’s touch, providing audible descriptions of elements and actions in the application. When VoiceOver is active, users don’t have to worry about accidentally deleting a contact or calling a phone number, because VoiceOver tells them where they are in the user interface, what actions they can take, and what the results of those actions will be.

VoiceOver and Zoom are free and are built into every iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad Touch and iPad device. Zoom is a sister screen magnification product to VoiceOver, for use by people with low vision.

This unwavering commitment to in-built accessibility by Apple is unprecedented.

VoiceOver or Zoom can be turned on by entering Settings > General > Accessibility, and they can be configured so either can be easily turned on and off just by quickly pressing the home button three times.

Because all these iOS devices rely heavily on a touch-screen for the user to select and interact with application controls, when VoiceOver is turned on, the set of standard gestures is changed to avoid accidental selections when the screen is being explored by touch. As an example, in order to activate a control (eg unlocking the device) the user first selects the control so that it is audibly announced and then performs a double tap gesture anywhere on the screen to activate the previously selected control.

If the user needs to perform an original gesture (a non VoiceOver gesture), they can perform a double-tap and hold, at which point a standard gesture can be performed on the device.

Note that VoiceOver and Zoom cannot be used simultaneously; only one can be activated at a time.

The VoiceOver and Zoom documentation can be found as a Bookmark within Safari under iPad User Guide or iPhone User Guide, depending on the device.

AccessWorld recently posted an excellent in-depth iPad and VoiceOver description and review

VoiceOver UI Efficiency

From a Usability view-point, the VoiceOver user interface is not nearly as elegant, efficient and intuitive as is the visual interface. This isn’t a criticism per se, but there are just some things that a flat touchscreen cannot do to promote efficient input – especially in noisy environments.

In effect, a VoiceOver user is having to develop Touch-Ear Coordination skills, in place of Eye-Hand Coordination for sighted users.

Eye-Hand Coordination

is a natural interaction technique developed from infancy. We see something and we reach out to touch it.

Hand-Ear Coordination

on the other hand, is much more unintuitive. It is more akin to feeling around to find something you have dropped, in the dark. The VoiceOver interface in its simplest form involves feeling around the screen untill you hear the content or control you are looking for. Then you can activate that item.

This has major implications for entering text efficiently and accurately. You need to find each letter on the screen, hear it announced, and then perform an action to enter it. This process is Much more frustrating for most blind people than T9 or touch-typing on a physical keyboard.

This is one of the principal reasons why so many blind people are still staying with their Symbian phones, because with their tactile keypads and keyboards, text entry tasks are so much more efficient and accurate, particularly in noisy environments.

this Visually Impaired Touchscreen Accessibility article makes a few extra points.

The future may hold some interesting improvements here, such as

1. Shape Shifting Device Interface patents Apple recently registered and.

2. Senseg E-Sense tactile technology

Accessible Apps

An Accessibility or a Usability Issue?

All of the in-built Apple apps in iOS are accessible to VoiceOver and Zoom. Other Apple apps such as Pages and iBooks are also quite accessible

The real message here is that for Apple, accessibility is not thought of as a ‘nice-to-have’ feature, it is a fundamental dimension of device and application usability. In effect the largely artificial line people have drawn between usability and accessibility has almost been erased by Apple’s recent products and design standards.

Making Your Apps Accessible

Many, though certainly not all third-party apps are automatically accessible to VoiceOver, and in most cases developers can make relatively minor programatic changes to make their apps more accessible, without impeding the user experience for sighted users.

More info on iOS app accessibility is available from the official Apple Developers guide on making your iOS apps work with VoiceOver

You might also want to check out A great accessibility overview and general instructions Accessibility for iPhone and iPad apps

The following is taken from the intro from Apple’s guidelines document:

Using iOS 3.0 and later, VoiceOver is available to help users with visual impairments use their iOS–based devices. The UI Accessibility programming interface, introduced in iOS 3.0, helps developers make their applications accessible to VoiceOver users… iPhone applications that run in iOS 3.0 and later should be accessible to VoiceOver users. iOS and the iPhone SDK support this goal by:

• Making standard UIKit controls and views accessible by default
• Supplying the UI Accessibility programming interface, which defines a streamlined process for making an iPhone application accessible
• Providing tools that help you implement accessibility in your code and test the accessibility of your application;

If you’re developing or updating an iPhone application, you should read this document to learn how to make your application accessible to VoiceOver users.

Why Should You Make Your Applications Accessible?

Here is Apple’s answer:

You should make your iPhone application accessible to VoiceOver users because:

• It increases your user base. You’ve worked hard to create a great application; don’t miss the opportunity to make it available to even more users.

• It allows people to use your application without seeing the screen. Users with visual impairments can use your application with the help of VoiceOver.

• It helps you address accessibility guidelines. Various governing bodies create guidelines for accessibility and making your iPhone application accessible to VoiceOver users can help you [or your client] meet them.

• It’s the right thing to do.

It’s important to be aware that supporting accessibility does not impact your ability to innovate and create beautiful iPhone applications. The UI Accessibility programming interface allows you to add a thin layer of functionality that does not alter your application’s appearance, or interfere with its main logic.

I’d add to Apple’s list of reasons the following:

• Many mobile apps actually represent a company or a service, so if they aren’t accessible then they are sending the implicit message that the business or service is closed to people with disabilities, or not in touch with their needs;

• Because Apple iOS apps are all accessible, and because an ever-increasing number of third-party iOS apps are also accessible now, VoiceOver users have come to expect that your app will be accessible too.

• Since people who are blind or have low vision are unable to access printed information, accessible content-rich apps present a fresh opportunity to publish the information in an accessible form.

Some content-rich examples are eBooks, apps to access daily newspapers and information-centric apps such as restaurant and travel guides.

Since delivering the presentation, the following article Killed off by apps, death of the web – is the open web dead? asks questions about publishers moving to apps for delivery of their content.

Accessible Mobile Website Design

Many of the guidelines for accessible web design also benefit users of mobile devices including ‘alttext’ for images (some people may turn off image download to save bandwidth) and not using colour alone to differentiate items (some people have monochrome screens on their older mobile devices).

These and other access-friendly and adaptable mobile website design approaches are discussed in Mobile-friendly: The mobile web optimization guide

Including More Audio and Real Voices into Your Apps

Regardless of the platform you develop for, there are many sound reasons why adding more audio and human voice content into your apps can be a great idea.

Consider these questions and whether contemplating bringing more audio could advantage your apps and your customers:

1. What was the iTunes AppStore’s No. 1 best-selling application for month after month? Interesting that its sound-making features totally eclipse its visual display.

2. Why is it that although mobile devices, in particular phones and iPads, are well-suited for playing audio, the core focus on app design is still so frequently focused on visual presentation via the display?

3. Increasingly organisations and businesses are deploying mobile apps. (You might say these are reflecting the ‘Face’ of the brand.) But what about the ‘Voice’ of the brand? How can Vocal Branding and sonic branding be employed in apps to strengthen and enhance the brand’s connection with customers?

Of course, if more voice and sound are going to be employed in apps, this needs to be done right and well! No one wants unexpected audio blaring out when they are at the library. Similarly, if the audio is incongruent with the visual aesthetic of the application, it will distract and frustrate users.

But… when Sonic Branding and Vocal Branding are implemented tastefully, respectfully and strategically, these portable multimedia devices have the potential to deliver extraordinary multi-sensory experiences for users. The result is a more immersive, engaging and satisfying user experience.

About Tim Noonan

Tim Noonan is a voice consultant and lecturer, inspirational conference speaker and the founder of Vocal Branding Australia.

Tim has worked as an accessibility expert for over 25 years in a range of usability consulting, product development, training and technology research roles.

With a background in cognitive psychology and human factors, Tim has consulted to numerous organisations including St.George Bank, the Australian Bankers’ Association, the Australian Electoral Commission, the NSW Department of Health and Vision Australia as a voice user interface (VUI) designer for automated telephone services and other self-voicing products.

A professional listener, Tim is pioneering the emerging field of Vocal Branding – an expertise that arose from his extensive research and lifelong study of the human voice. Vocal Branding realizes the intrinsic capacity of the human voice to transmit emotion, and its extraordinary potential to create compelling, durable and trusted brand relationships.

Please Contact Tim to speak about accessible application development and to explore adding Sonic and Vocal Branding elements into your mobile applications.

One of the most frequent questions I am asked about Vocal Branding is

what kinds of voices and situations is Vocal Branding helpful for?

I have listed some general brand voice categories and examples below, but the truth is that when voice is involved in any of your products, services, brands or customer experiences, Vocal Branding is a powerful and largely un-tapped touch-point of brand communication that strengthens and enhances your brand in the minds and in the hearts of your customers.

Here are a few voice-branding examples to get you thinking about the voices in your own domain which may benefit from some Vocal Branding attention:

Brand Voice and Vocal Branding Applications

Advertisements and Sponsorship

Television, Radio and online;

Script Writing and Voice direction for Telephone Services

IVR, ‘on hold’ messages and call-centre scripts;

Customer Experience

Call centres, face-to-face customer communication, staff training, sales teams;

Games and Animation

Characterisation, computer games, vocal casting and direction in films, cartoons and children’s programming;

Audio Announcements and Safety

Transportation & Location information, Instructions, Alarms, Emergency Messages, Aircraft Safety Announcements, Evacuation Procedures etc;

Talking Devices

In-car devices, GPS navigation, home appliances, PDAs and SmartPhones, ATMs, Voting machines, point-of-sale devices;

Executive

Voice mail messages, live and recorded presentations by high-level corporate representatives;

Videos

Educational and promotional;

Recordings

Audio books, Tutorials, Audio training programs, Corporate podcasts, Meditation programs and Workshops;

Interactive

Computer based training applications, augmented reality and mobile applications and other media applications involving voice.

In short – If it talks, then it is likely to benefit from some Vocal Branding attention!

Contact us to discuss how Vocal Branding Australia can work with you to develop natural, memorable and unique brand voices that really talk to your customers.

Vocally yours
Tim Noonan
Director, Vocal Branding Australia