At your command: This voice app is improving access to the digital world for the differently-abled

Scientist and philosopher Carl Sagan put it succinctly when he said ldquoWe are capable of using our compassion and our intelligence our technology and our wealth to make an abundant and meaningful life for every inhabitant of this planetrdquo With the Louie Voice Control app Pramit Bhargava is walking on Saganrsquos path Since 2020 the application has sought to enable users to access mobile phone functionalities using only voice commandsNamed after Louis Braille mdash the inventor of the Braille language mdash the Louie voice app works on phones with an operating system of Android seven and above It remains the rare Indian voice app with such features Through commands users can make phone calls message over text and WhatsApp access YouTube email and Facebook efficientlyPramit BhargavaBhargavarsquos company is currently working to add linguistic diversity with 20 major languages to be added by 2023 ldquoWe are about to release Hindi Bengali and Spanish versions What we have also developed is a combination of Hindi and English Any combination of two languages mdash Hindi and English mdash would work toordquo he notesThe spark of inspirationAn IITBHU Varanasi and IIMBangalore alumni Bhargavarsquos flying corporate career hit a major roadblock when he suffered visual impairment in the late 1990s till he completely lost sight 12 years ago ldquoMy confidence took a complete hitrdquo he reveals To regain his independence he turned to technology for helpLearning to work with screenreader apps was not easy the Gurugrambased entrepreneur admits But they helped him restart a career as a consultant It was during a meeting for a startup that the idea for an app that helps visually impaired people was sparked ldquoIt imprinted upon me the idea that technology for any differently abled person should simplify the taskrdquo he explainsldquoNo sighted person can help differentlyabled individuals understand technology since they perceive and use it differently So how does a differentlyabled person learnrdquo Bhargava asks The solution was to turn to the most natural and form of communication mdash voice commandsMarker for changeA regular user of Google Assistant Siri and Alexa Bhargava admits that the current apps are effective but lack specificity ldquoThe idea was to close my eyes and imagine a friend helping me out To imagine what they would say how they would act or help me make selections Louie enables a continuous twoway interaction end to endrdquo Bhargava emphasisesThe app also shaped Bhargavarsquos perspective of differentlyabled people he admits Once a sighted person he was looking at things from the outside in ldquoThere is a lack of awareness about peoplersquos abilities One has to bring in consciousness that there is technology to enable differentlyabled users to do things on their ownrdquo he sharesThe founder adds that he often is surprised by the feedback he receives From the elderly who struggle with clicking apps to the physically challenged the users extend far beyond the visuallychallenged demographic Bhargava had initially targeted But more needs to be done he maintains ldquoThere is a need for the government and society to come together on this since the number of differentlyabled people is quite large and capable of contributing to societyrdquo he concludesTest Drive With your voice onlyRichi Rungta a Masters student at Tata institute of Social Sciences TISS Mumbai understands the challenges faced by Bhargava better As a visuallychallenged student Rungta depends on the use of talkback apps and Google Assistant for digital accessibility Having used Louie he tells us ldquoI found it unique It was quite like Google Assistant only betterrdquo Rungta was left impressed by the apprsquos ability to perceive commands and interact with the user ldquoI did not have to touch my screen or make any gestures for making calls or text messages or searchesOn occassions when it did not decipher my voice command it would ask againrdquo he says adding that the app recognised his texting style of Hinglish in WhatsApp and adapted accordingly This is not to say the app is without flaws Rungta points out that as a new application it is still in the process of evolution ldquoThe only hurdle was that the voice command often opens the app at the search bar rather than the home screen If you wish to scroll through the screen you have to turn the voice app offrdquo Rungta advised adding that these issues can be sorted out over time ldquoOne has to give the app some time If they improve on some features it might just be among the best options aroundrdquo he remarksLog on to Louie Voice Control app on Google Playstore or Louievoicecom