It may feel distracting to see words floating in front of you as people speak. Focusing on the speaker(s) instead of trying to read the captions word for word can help. Experiment with different settings.
XanderGlasses are simple to use, but they are still new technology, so allow yourself some time to adjust. Even if you often use captioning on video, phone, or computer, seeing captions projected in real life is a different experience.
The best way to get used to reading real-time captions is to practice consistently and experiment to discover which settings work best for you.
Practical Tips
Try the glasses at home or a place you feel comfortable, where things are familiar, and you don’t feel pressured.
Start in a quiet space and ask a friend or family member to talk to you. Or you can speak out loud to yourself to get used to seeing the captions, and discovering which font size and display position you prefer.
When practicing with another person, ask them to talk to you about something simple, such as what they ate for lunch, the latest movie or TV show they saw, or what they did over the weekend. As they talk, you will get used to following their speech using captions. The more you practice, the easier it gets to follow the captions.
If you are not accustomed to reading captions, at first, it may feel distracting to see words floating in front of you. We suggest that you try to focus on the person or people talking to you, instead of trying to read the captions word for word.
Only you, the person wearing the glasses, can see the captions and, because the captions are semi-transparent you will be able to see the people speaking to you and your surroundings as you read the captions.
Expand & Experiment
Once you can follow the captions easily, move to a normal conversation in which you are talking back and forth. When you feel comfortable using the glasses talking with one person, try using them at home with multiple friends or family members. It may take some practice to shift your focus in conversations that move quickly between multiple individuals.
Once you feel confident using XanderGlasses, we encourage you to download the XanderGlasses app to change the size and position of the captions. Experiment to learn what works best for you and what is easiest and feels most natural to read while engaging with others.
When you feel comfortable using the glasses in conversations with people you know, try the more demanding situations. XanderGlasses can be helpful at appointments, shopping, restaurants, and social events. If you have hearing devices and the background noise is overwhelming, you may want to decrease the volume so that you don’t get distracted by the level of background noise.
Optimizing XanderGlasses for noisy situations, multiple speakers, and background noise
XanderGlasses have microphones that hear speech as well as an average person without hearing loss. For situations where it's especially difficult to hear—with ample background noise, multiple speakers, or when one person speaks softly—we include a powerful wireless microphone system. This reduces background noise and provides the most accurate captions when the mic is clipped to the person speaking. Learn more about using the wireless microphone system.
Positioning the Microphone in Different Situations
- Clip the microphone to the neckline or collar of your top. In situations with mild background noise, the mic may better pick up the voices of people near you and send captions to your XanderGlasses.
- Ask the person you’re conversing with to clip the microphone to their collar or shirt. This can be especially helpful if a person is speaking very softly in a noisy room or in a group setting.
- If you are in a small group setting with multiple people speaking, set the microphone at the center of the group, or closest to the person who speaks softest.
- If you are in a large auditorium listening to a talk or lecture, ask the speaker to wear the microphone. The wireless microphone system has a range of 65 feet.