Orientation to Kurzweil

Home Screen (Kurzweil 3000)

The program opens with the Kurzweil 3000 home screen on which there are three standard tabs presented in the ribbon that correspond to the three main functions of the program: Read, Write, and Scan. Each tab (with the exception of the Kurzweil 3000 tab) can be hidden or unhidden by right clicking in the tab area. A custom tab can be created and renamed to personalize the user’s objectives. Pre-set custom tabs can be easily loaded by entering the tab menu (right click) and selecting “Load a toolbar set”. Otherwise, decide which task is required and click on the appropriate tab.

Alternatively, use the targeted objectives on the Kurzweil 3000 home screen specific to the Read, Write or Scan tasks. Clicking the associated icon on the Kurzweil 3000 page will open additional options or if clicking the Scan Document icon, will initiate the Scanning program.

Layout

The program is presented in such a way that there are consistent graphical elements present regardless of what feature/tab is being used. The screen is divided into the various components as displayed in the sample screenshot:

1) The menu bar lies at the top of the screen and contains a variety of menu items that are accessed when clicking the title in the menu bar. Each item in the menu will be highlighted as the mouse cursor hovers over it. Some items may have a sub-menu (denoted whenever there is a triangular arrow next to the menu item) that will open when the mouse cursor rests on that item. Drag the mouse cursor over to the sub-menu to access items or additional sub-menus. The menu bar is consistent at all times and can be hidden by selecting “View” in the menu bar and clicking “Toggle Top Toolbar” or using the shortcut <CTRL>+<ALT>+T.

2) The Ribbon Menu is a narrow strip located below the Menu Bar and is divided into two sections:

a. the top section in dark grey is consistent and contains the three tabs (Read, Write or Scan) on the left side of the Ribbon, the speech playback controls (back, play/pause, forward or silent mode) centred on the Ribbon, and three additional Menus providing access to Audio Options, Reference, or Online settings or features.

b. The bottom section has a light grey background and the left portion of the toolbar is common to all tabs while the right portion is specific to the tab function.

The menu bar can be hidden by selecting “View” in the menu bar and clicking “Toggle Top Ribbon” or using the shortcut <CTRL>+<ALT>+R.

3) The Left Toolbar contains frequently accessed tools and is customizable. Different toolbar sets can be easily loaded depending on the skills required. The left toolbar can be hidden by selecting “View” in the menu bar and clicking “Toggle Left Toolbar” or using the shortcut <CTRL>+<ALT>+L.