Peer-reviewed research
Model-based and Empirical Evaluation of Multimodal Interactive Error Correction
Bernhard Suhm et al., Proceedings of CHI 99, ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 1999
Read the originalRead on October 16, 2026
- What it is
- A user study with 15 participants, grouped by typing skill, comparing ways to correct recognition errors in a dictation task: respeaking, choosing from a list, typing and multimodal correction. It found that typing was faster than speech-only correction for people with good typing skills.
- How much weight it carries
- Peer-reviewed CHI paper, read in full on 2026-10-16 from the KIT copy. The sample is small (five participants per typing-skill group) and the recognizer dates from 1999. The keyboard comparison is the robust part of the result.
Facts taken from this source
- In the 1999 CHI study, fast non-secretarial typists could correct up to 15 errors per minute by keyboard, choosing from an N-best list of recognizer alternatives.
“fast non-secretarial typists can correct up to 15 errors per minute using keyboard and choice from the N-best list” (Discussion of correction speed, Figure 4)
- In a 1999 CHI study, multimodal correction was faster than speech-only correction but slower than correction by typing for users with good typing skills.
“slower than correction by typing for users with good typing skills” (Abstract)
- The average typing rates of the study's participants on plain text were 23, 35 and 40 words per minute for the slow, average and fast typists.
“The average typing rates of our participants on plain text were 23, 35, and 40 wpm for the slow, average, and fast typists, respectively” (Experiment design)
- In the 1999 CHI study, users first preferred speech for correcting errors, but with experience they learned to avoid the correction methods that did not work well.
“while users initially prefer speech, they learn to avoid ineffective correction modalities with experience” (Abstract)
Pages that rest on this source
- Speaking vs Typing Speed: What the Research ShowsGuide
- Dictation and Voice Typing: How to Talk Instead of TypeTopic
- Typing Speed: Average WPM and How to Type FasterTopic
- What Is a Good Typing Speed? WPM Levels ExplainedGuide
- Dictation Commands: How to Edit and Format by VoiceGuide
- Text Expanders and Autocomplete: Type Less, Not FasterGuide
- How do you correct a misheard word by voice?Question
- Should you edit while you dictate or afterward?Question
- Typing Speed Requirements for Jobs: WPM by RoleGuide
- Is 30 words per minute a good typing speed?Question
- Is 40 words per minute a good typing speed?Question
- Is 50 words per minute a good typing speed?Question