Building a Browser-Based Karaoke Game with Web Speech API

A developer built a karaoke game for her favorite band. She ended up discovering the hard limits and surprising flaws of the Web Speech API.

Building a Browser-Based Karaoke Game with Web Speech API
#1about 2 minutes

Creating a gamified karaoke experience in the browser

The motivation for building a custom karaoke game was to expand the song selection for a favorite band and add a scoring mechanic.

#2about 1 minute

An overview of the Web Speech API

The Web Speech API is a native browser feature split into speech recognition (speech-to-text) and speech synthesis (text-to-speech) for voice input and control.

#3about 3 minutes

Understanding the limitations of the Web Speech API

The API's real-world usability is hampered by inconsistent browser support, reliance on vendor-specific cloud services, and privacy concerns.

#4about 5 minutes

Demonstrating basic text-to-speech and voice navigation

A live demonstration shows how the API can be used for simple tasks like reading selected text aloud or enabling basic voice commands on a webpage.

#5about 4 minutes

Implementing the core logic for the karaoke game

The game's implementation involves initializing speech recognition, handling its tendency to stop by restarting it, and comparing the transcribed text against the song's lyrics.

#6about 6 minutes

A live demonstration of the browser karaoke game

The completed karaoke game is tested by speaking, singing, and intentionally using incorrect words to show how it scores the performance.

#7about 3 minutes

The API's current state and related community projects

While the native API is not yet production-ready for commercial use, the community has built useful tools and projects like Web Captioner and Mozilla's Common Voice.

#8about 1 minute

Practical design considerations for voice interfaces

When designing for voice, it's crucial to use concise content, consider conversational flow, and plan for error recovery and cognitive load.

#9about 4 minutes

Finding joy and learning through unproductive side projects

Building "useless" or "silly" side projects is a powerful way to combat burnout, learn new skills, and rediscover the fun in software development.

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