How To

Build, speak, customise.

Building Sentences

VoiceBox was built to be intuitive for the user, however some familiarity of the concepts by a helper will improve the users experience.

The Basics

Tap words in the grid, one at a time, until you are happy with your sentence. The sentence is shown at the top of the screen, and is read aloud when you tap it. Tap again to repeat it.

Made a mistake? Tap the undo button to take back the last word, or tap the bin to clear the whole sentence. Tap it twice, so it can’t be cleared by accident.

Grammar

See the English Grammar Basics page for a detailed overview of how VoiceBox handles grammar.

To make word choice more effective, only words that fit the sentence so far are shown. Word validity is determined by VoiceBox’s internal grammar and dictionary, which are designed to be consistent and simple. Words are offered in the right form, such as she wants, I went, the people are.

English grammar is complex and often inconsistent, so VoiceBox doesn’t always get it right. If a word you want isn’t offered, try a different one that means the same thing.

VoiceBox’s internal grammar and dictionary mean that it does not rely on an internet connection, and that it works the same way for everyone, everywhere.

The dictionary is also designed to not be exhaustive, so that word choice is not overwhelming. The core dictionary will be optionally expanded in future versions, through the use of purchable vocabulary packs.

Word Grouping

Words are sorted into groups. Each group can have a custom icon and colour. Tapping a group reveals its valid words.

Groups can be customised, and the words in them switched on or off, in Settings › Groups.

A default Abc group is provided, which lists all valid words in alphabetical order.

For words that can be pluralised, where appropriate, the plural form is offered when the sentence so far requires it.

??? to type a one-off word VoiceBox doesn’t have, such as a name.

Quick Access

In Settings, Quick Access expands specified groups and pins its words at the top of the grid, so they are always available. By default there is a core group with the most common word.

Parts of Speech

In Display Settings, Parts of Speech optionally sorts words by their grammatical role, such as noun, verb, adjective and adverb.

Frequent and Favourite Sentences

Every sentence you speak is kept in the list behind the heart button. Tap one to bring it back, then tap it at the top to say it. Swipe right on a sentence to make it a favourite, so it stays in the list for good.

Hot Bar

In Settings, open Hotbar and add phrases that are spoken in a single tap without building a sentence.

This is useful for common ready-made replies whilst building a sentence, such as Yes, No or One moment please, allowing the person to not seem rude or unresponsive whilst they are still building a sentence.

Settings

How do I turn on Settings?

Settings are hidden at first, so the person using VoiceBox can’t change them by mistake. To show them, open the iPad’s Settings app, choose VoiceBox AAC and turn on Enable In-App Settings. A gear button then appears in VoiceBox.

Personalisation

Voice

How do I choose a voice?

In Settings, tap Voice to pick a voice and set its Rate, Pitch and Volume. Tap Preview Voice to hear it. For a more natural voice, download an Enhanced or Premium one in the iPad’s Settings under Accessibility › Spoken Content › Voices.

Vocabulary

One-off Words

For one-off words, tap ??? and type it. To help VoiceBox with its grammar, choose the correct plural form if it is a noun, i.e. ??? vs ???s.

How do I change the words VoiceBox AAC offers?

In Settings, Custom Dictionary adds words, Lexemes switches words on and off, Groups sets up the word groups, and Quick Access picks the words pinned at the top.