At the office, how often did you hear words like "deep dive," "add value" or "best practice"?
Probably, too many.
For Lana Graf, a recent MIT graduate, the office jargon infesting the English language is a problem that needs an urgent solution. After teaming up with designer Bryan Rogers, she found a possible one: JarGone, a device that flags "banned" words — with an alarm and a flashing light — by using speech-recognition software.
The idea for JarGone has its roots in the swear jar, a device that is meant to help discourage people from swearing. Rogers said he had one as a kid growing up: "It was me and my mom; and if either of us said a bad word, we would put a quarter in the jar."
Rogers continued: "What we're doing [with JarGone] is taking that concept to the 21st century for home schools and the offices."
Here's a video showing how JarGone works:
https://vimeo.com/261440171
JarGone users can set up their own personal list of banned words thanks to an app. On their mobile phones, uses can select the words they want to ban from pre-compiled lists or just type them from scratch. As Graf pointed out, JarGone is different from other voice-controlled devices because it’s always listening in the background and doesn't need trigger- sentences like "Hey, Alexa" or "OK, Google" to work. Also, it can recognize banned words in any language and any English accent, Graf said. The device doesn't store occurrences of flagged words.
Although JarGone was born as a watchdog for office jargon, Graf pointed out that the applications are countless. Teachers or parents, for example, could use the device to teach children not to say bad words; friends could use it to start a group game; not to mention the fact that, in a professional setting, the device could be used to prevent inappropriate conversations.
"The device is not, like, a judge, but more like a referee," Graf said.
At the end of April, Graf and Rogers launched a Kickstarter campaign with a goal of $25,000 to start manufacturing the first batch of products, which they plan to retail for $75.
