Design and Development of a Lightweight Text-to-Speech Application to Support the Digitalization of MSMEs in Indonesia

Abstract

The development of information technology plays an important role in increasing the productivity of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Indonesia. However, limited hardware and resources are still obstacles in adopting advanced technologies such as Text-to-Speech (TTS) applications. This study aims to develop a lightweight TTS application that is compatible with low-spec computers (2 GB RAM, dual-core processor), to support work efficiency and information access for MSME actors. The methodology used is software engineering with a prototype development approach, which includes user needs analysis, simple interface design, selection of an efficient TTS engine, and implementation using Python and Tkinter. The test results show that the application can run smoothly on low-spec devices with minimal resource consumption. Although there are still limitations such as limited voice choices and the absence of an audio export feature, this application has great potential in supporting the digital transformation of MSMEs. Further development includes multi-language support, application integration, and a mobile version.