Hacker News Reader

Comment by rijoja | Hacker News Reader

How well would this work in an open office setting, especially if several people are using it?

I suspect this setup would not be ideal as background noise getting worse would be annoying for all concerned and even more challenging than an open plan office already is, and your colleagues might not appreciate this unless you're already surrounded by people talking all day (e.g. support or sales teams on calls).

That aside, in terms of worrying about your mic picking up other people's voices and the voice dictation getting confused, most dedicated microphones these days (i.e. not ones that are built into your phone's headphones), are pretty good at background noise reduction.

I've not used the one OP recommends - I'd never have considered a table based mic like that before - but the noise reduction on the Plantronics Blackwire 3215 headset I use is so good that if I move the mic boom a few inches up or down away from my mouth, people can't really hear me on calls. It's superb at getting rid of background noises, and if somebody else was in my home office using voice dictation it would not be picked up by my headset.

Very interesting. But what about people who simply just rather use their fingers? Would you not rather type than speak if possible?

I think I personally would, but then I would rather hear some of my colleagues talking rather than using their mechanical keyboards in an open plan office.

I work mostly from home, so I'm interested in this as a programming method to see how or if it changes the way I approach it as work.

I use Talon with Dragon and an Audio Technica PRO8HE. I mostly whisper to the system, and people in my office say they don't hear me at all. Also whispering allows me to not get my throat get tired.

There are really good mics at background rejection, if you’re worried about external voices filtering in.

1. Cheapest is probably a USB dynamic mic of some kind.

2. Next is a Stenomask at around $250

3. A lot of folks swear by the DPA d:fine cardioid, which is $800-1300 including an interface. There’s also cardioid shirt worn lavalier I’m interested in trying sometime, which is the same interface but the mic is $150 cheaper ($650 -> $500)

If you’re worried about other people hearing you, your options include an isolated area, playing noise (white noise or music?), or using a StenoMask, which blocks sound in both directions.

Remember in the US your employer is required under the ADA to provide “reasonable accommodations” for disability, which may include a private working space, pair programming, or letting you work from home more often.

I am also thinking in a more general sense of keyboard usage. Walking for example would reduce precision, noisy areas such as car and in industry etc...

Reply on news.ycombinator.com