🚀 Getting Started with Zip EasySpeak

Welcome to your new AAC dashboard! This guide will help you set up and start communicating in minutes.

Access Easy Speech by visiting https://easyspeak.zipsolutions.org

💬 Basic Usage

Building a Sentence

  1. Tap the tiles on the screen to add words to the Sentence Strip at the top.
  2. As you tap, the app will highlight statistically likely next words with a glowing yellow border.
  3. To hear your sentence, tap the blue Play (▶) button on the sentence strip.
  4. To remove the last word you added, tap the Delete (⌫) button next to the Play button.

Typing Custom Words

  1. Tap the "Type" (⌨️) button on the Core page to open the keyboard.
  2. Type your word.
  3. Tap the Space (␣) button to commit the word to your sentence.
  4. Mobile Tip: If you are on a smartphone, the keyboard optimizes for your small screen. Rotate your phone sideways (landscape) for larger, square keys!

Using Word Forms (Grammar/Morphology)

Some action or object tiles have multiple grammatical forms (like "want", "wants", "wanted").

  • You can identify these tiles by the three tiny dots (...) in the bottom right corner.
  • Long-press (hold your finger down) on the tile for half a second.
  • A menu will pop up allowing you to choose the exact tense or plural form you need.

✨ The AI Magic Bar

Easy Speak AI features an intelligent "Magic Bar" that saves you time by predicting full sentences based on a few keywords.

How it works:

  1. Tap a few keywords (e.g., tap I, then Want, then Apple).
  2. Look at the Magic Bar sitting just below the sentence strip.
  3. The AI will think for a moment and offer full sentence buttons (e.g., "I want an apple, please." or "Can I have an apple?").
  4. Tap the suggestion to immediately speak the full, grammatically correct sentence!

Context Awareness: At the top of the screen, you can set your current Location (Home, School, Restaurant, etc.). The app also automatically knows the Time of Day (Morning, Afternoon, Evening). The AI uses this information to make smarter predictions!

🎨 Customizing Your Board (Edit Mode)

Easy Speak AI is fully customizable. You can add your own pictures, create new pages, and change colors.

Unlocking Edit Mode

  1. Look at the bottom of the left-hand sidebar.
  2. Tap the Padlock (🔒) icon to unlock Edit Mode. The sidebar buttons will turn green and drag handles will appear on the tiles. (If an Admin PIN is set, you will be asked to enter it here).

Editing a Tile

  1. In Edit Mode, hover over or tap a tile.
  2. Tap the blue Pencil (✏️) icon on the tile.
  3. Label & Phrase: Change what the button says and what it speaks aloud.
  4. Color: Choose a background color. The colors follow the standard Fitzgerald Key for Speech-Language Pathologists (e.g., Yellow for People, Green for Verbs).
  5. Image/Emoji: Type an emoji, or tap the Search (🔍) icon to search the OpenSymbols library for a picture. Images are saved to your device for offline use!
  6. Word Variants: Add comma-separated words (e.g., eat, ate, eating) to enable the long-press grammar menu for this tile.
  7. Action Settings: You can link a tile to another page (like a folder), or set it to "Silent" so it just navigates without adding a word to the sentence.

Adding & Reordering

  • Add a Tile: Scroll to the bottom of any page in Edit Mode and tap the large "+ Add" button.
  • Add a Page: Tap the "+ Add" button in the left sidebar.
  • Reorder: Simply tap, hold, and drag any tile or page to a new position!

⚙️ Settings & Preferences

Tap the Settings (⚙️) gear icon in the bottom left corner to access preferences.

  • Visuals: Change the Grid Size (number of columns) and switch your keyboard between QWERTY and ABC layouts.
  • Interaction Mode: * Turn the Sentence Builder on or off.
    • Speak on Select: Speaks each word instantly as you tap it.
    • Clear After Speaking: Automatically empties your sentence strip after you hit Play.
  • Speech: Choose a specific voice from your device, and adjust the speaking Rate and Pitch.
  • Security: Set an Admin PIN to prevent users from accidentally deleting tiles or changing settings.
  • Data & Storage: Back up your entire configuration to a file, or export single pages to share with other devices!

(Troubleshooting: If the app updates but you don't see the new features, scroll to the bottom of the Settings menu and tap "Clear App Cache").

Last Updated:
Contributors: Chris