AI TTS and SSML functionality
Hello everyone, I would like to bring the attention of the community on AI TTS and the limited use of SSML with it. I know that it is not supported because you built AI voices "to understand the relationship between words and adjust delivery accordingly". However, AI voices mispronounce acronyms and other words like company names and such. By saying that I am forced to use the old TTS voices, and it is a bit upsetting because the AI voices sound indeed more natural and "human", big benefits in e-learning for ensuring a more pleasant learning experience for our users. This is a request to work on SSML for AI voices because I strongly believe it is needed. AnnaSome ideas based on a recent large project.
Some ideas I had while working on a recent project that I thought would be helpful based on the actual work I was doing: Add Menu item to Timeline object right-click: Alignment: Align Object END to Playhead, in addition to Align Object Start to Playhead. Would help align object ending point to next object starting point. Add crop tool to right-click context menu when an image is selected. When selecting the image after adding, it takes two extra clicks to go to Format>Crop and you have to do a visual search for the crop tool. The extra time involved is substantial when cropping many images on multiple slides. Add feature 'Remove Background' to image right-click context menu when image is selected. (ala PowerPoint, but better!). Add an optional feature 'Auto Order' to timeline objects which would put, for example, Audio files at the top, Titles second, Text third, Images last, or whatever order the user specifies as a default. Should include easy on/off control for exceptions. Would help to make timelines visually consistent for large projects. Add optional feature for Audio export (of AI Text-to-Speech): use the audio name in the timeline as the export name as opposed to the first few words of text for the audio. Would allow the user to number audio clips to be used in video creation or other projects. Please add an Edit Points feature for irregular polygons! It is very hard to make a shape perfectly the first time. There are likely better existing ways to do these things. Comments/suggestions appreciated. - alanTop 10 Ruby on Rails Development Mistakes to Avoid
Choosing the right technology for your startup is a crucial decision. Congratulations on selecting Ruby on Rails development services! It's a powerful choice for building robust and scalable applications. Ruby on Rails provides a comprehensive framework, including full front-end support, enabling the development of enterprise-ready apps. Its core features, like Convention Over Configuration and the MVC architecture, contribute to its reliability in creating highly functional applications. Furthermore, RubyGems, leveraged extensively by Rails developers, significantly reduce development time and streamline coding processes, adhering to industry best practices and facilitating rapid MVP development, freeing up valuable time for marketing your product. Mistake 1: Over-Reliance on Gems While the vast ecosystem of RubyGems offers a wealth of functionality, overusing them can lead to bloated applications. An excessive number of gems disproportionate to the application's functionality can create performance bottlenecks. This increases the size of the Rails process, potentially slowing down output and necessitating larger server memory configurations, ultimately driving up operational costs and impacting user experience. Mistake 2: Misusing Predicate Methods Predicate methods, identifiable by their trailing question mark (?), should consistently return a boolean value (true or false). Understanding this fundamental principle is key to their proper implementation. Focus on naming these methods descriptively based on the action they perform, rather than the expected return value. Mistake 3: Excessive Gem Usage (Revisited) While leveraging RubyGems is beneficial, overusing them can lead to significant drawbacks. An over-reliance on gems bloats the application, impacting performance and requiring increased memory allocation and higher optimization expenses. This extended startup time reduces development efficiency. Moreover, each gem introduces dependencies, potentially creating a cascading effect of lags and further performance degradation. If you encounter challenges implementing Ruby on Rails effectively, consider partnering with a leading Ruby on Rails development company like DEFX. Mistake 4: Blocking Calls Integrating third-party APIs into Rails applications is common, but direct calls can introduce performance bottlenecks. To mitigate this, offload time-consuming operations to background jobs using gems like Delayed Job or Sidekiq. For example, multi-factor authentication via a third-party provider during user registration can be handled asynchronously in the background. Mistake 5: Neglecting Automated Tests Ruby on Rails is inherently designed for automated testing. Leverage this capability by implementing thorough tests using methodologies like Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) and Test-Driven Development (TDD). While the extent of testing is often debated, automated tests are crucial. At a minimum, implement high-level integration tests for your controllers, ensuring comprehensive coverage of your application's functionality and facilitating seamless code modifications and updates. Mistake 6: Insecure Configuration Management Rails applications often integrate with external services like Google Calendar and AWS, requiring API keys. Storing these credentials securely is paramount. Avoid checking sensitive information into source code repositories. Implement robust security measures to protect API keys and other sensitive configuration data. Mistake 7: Depending on Existing Database Migrations Ruby on Rails' database migration mechanism offers a structured way to manage database schema changes. While sequentially numbered migration files allow for recreating the database from scratch, avoid tightly coupling your application logic to the existing state of migrations. This ensures flexibility and avoids potential conflicts during development and deployment. Mistake 8: Ignoring Log Files While most Rails developers are aware of log files, their valuable insights are often overlooked. Actively monitor log files during development and testing, not just in production. This proactive approach allows for early detection of potential issues and performance bottlenecks. Mistake 9: Choosing the Wrong Rails Application Type Modern Rails offers dedicated API mode for building APIs, eliminating unnecessary middleware like views and assets. Consider your application's purpose. Choose the standard Rails application for web applications requiring full functionality, and the API mode for projects focused solely on API development. Mistake 10: Inconsistent Naming Conventions Rails provides naming conventions to streamline development. Adhering to these conventions, especially when working with Active Record models, ensures consistency and clarity. Understanding how Active Record maps models to database tables is crucial for efficient database interactions. Final Thoughts Rails empowers rapid application development. However, developers must address potential design and coding pitfalls to ensure scalability and maintainability. Awareness of these common mistakes is key to building reliable and secure applications. If you face challenges with Ruby on Rails development, DEFX offers expert consulting and development services. Our team of experienced Ruby on Rails developers can provide reliable and secure development solutions. Contact DEFX for a free quote and let us help you build successful Rails applications.Storyline 360 Update 99
On Tuesday, we shipped Update 99 of Storyline 360. This update has tons of fixes and enhancements, including an optimization to how closed captions are loaded by the player, the ability to drag and drop media files directly into the Media Library, and a fix for an issue that kept the NVDA screen reader from properly following focus order. The part of this release that I’m most excited about, however, is the addition of AI generated alt text for images. In Update 99, authors have the ability to ask the AI Assistant to create alt text for any image in their course. This can be done using new buttons in either the Size and Position dialog, or the Media Library side panel. In the example here, I’m dragging three images into the Media Library depicting a rock, some paper, and scissors. For each image I’m using the “Generate alt text” button to have AI describe the contents of the image. Here’s what it came up with for each: Rock: A shiny black coal-like mineral with uneven texture and jagged edges. Paper: A blank spiral-bound notebook on a wooden stand, flanked by two small potted plants on either side. Scissors: Two small ornate scissors with gold handles, one styled like a bird and the other with a traditional design, placed on a light background. It’s important to note that human review of the AI generated alt text is still very important. AI might fail to convey the context that you want for learners using assistive technology like a screen reader or simply misinterpret what the image contains. We will be capturing analytics and feedback from customers about the overall quality of the generated alt text so we can continue to refine and improve in the future. Have you used the AI Assistant to generate alt text in your courses yet? If so, I'd love to hear about how it worked for you in the comments! If you'd like to learn more about this feature or any of the other things that shipped with Update 99 check out the resources below: Release notes for Update 99 Documentation for AI generated alt text The 100th update of Storyline 360 is coming up on May 27th and we have some very exciting new features slated for release! If you want to get a sneak preview, some of those features are already available in the Storyline private beta program. If you’d like to participate, simply email beta@articulate.com to get started!AI Assistant in Storyline 360: AI-generated Alt Text Suggestion
Alternative text (alt text) boosts accessibility by ensuring that learners who use assistive technologies can grasp the meaning of non-text objects. While adding alt text to a handful of slide objects sounds easy enough, it can quickly become daunting when you think about all the objects across a course. Fortunately, AI Assistant makes alt text generation effortless. Read on to learn how AI-generated alt text lets you create inclusive content with ease. Generate Alt Text from the Size and Position Window Here’s how to generate alt text for non-text slide objects using the Size and Position window. Right-click the object you want to edit, then choose Accessibility from the context menu to open the Accessibility tab in the Size and Position window. Click the Generate alt text button to get an AI-generated alt text suggestion. When generating alt text for the first time, a pop-up window appears, confirming that you agree to have our third-party AI provider temporarily process your media. (Your media will not be stored, retained, or used to train AI models.) Click Yes if you agree, or No to cancel the action. To keep the pop-up window from reappearing, mark the box for “Don’t ask again.” To edit the suggested alt text, click on the text field. Click the Apply to all button if you want to use the same alt text for all instances of that object in your project. Click the Close button when you’re done. Generate Alt Text from the Media Library You can also generate alt text from the media library. Start by opening the media library using any of the following methods: In Slide view, go to the View tab and click Media Library. In Slide view, right-click the slide object and choose Show in Media Library from the context menu. When the Media Library window opens, do the following: Select the slide object from the list on the left. Click Generate alt text on the right to get an AI-generated alt text suggestion. To edit the suggested alt text, click on the text field. Click the Apply to all button if you want to use the same alt text for all instances of that object in your project. Click the X icon in the upper right corner of the Media Library window when you’re done. ndow Generate Alt Text from the Accessibility Checker Storyline’s accessibility checker identifies accessibility issues in your project and collects them in one place. When combined with AI-generated alt text, the accessibility checker lets you find slide objects that don’t have custom alt text and fix them in just a few clicks. Start by opening the accessibility checker using either of the following methods: Go to the View tab on the ribbon and click Accessibility Checker. Click Accessibility Issues in the status bar at the bottom. When the Accessibility Checker panel displays, follow these steps to find and fix missing custom alt text: Under the All Issues tab, click to expand the row for Custom alt text added. Select a line item, and then click the Generate alt text button on the right. Click Apply to save your changes. button in the Accessibility Checker panel Tips: You can add AI-generated alt text to any non-text objects in your slide except for audio. It works best for non-interactive, decorative elements such as images, characters, and icons. We don't recommend using AI-generated alt text for interactive objects such as buttons. Before you can add alt text to an object, verify that the box labeled Object is visible to accessibility tools is checked. (It should be checked by default.) Regardless of your content or authoring tool’s language, AI Assistant always generates alt text in English. Clicking the Close button or another slide object while AI Assistant generates alt text cancels the process. While AI Assistant generates high-quality alt text, you should review the output for accuracy.
