Ecological Design of an Augmentative and Alternative Communication Device Interface

Kaela Shea,Olivier St-Cyr,Tom Chau

doi:10.1177/15553434211029530

Kaela Shea, Olivier St-Cyr + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1177/15553434211029530

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Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, brain stem stroke, and neurological injury are examples of conditions that may limit vocal communication. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems can provide a communication pathway to users who experience such complex communication needs, facilitating their societal participation and supporting some ability to direct their own care. We adapted the cognitive work analysis (CWA) framework to a linguistic domain for insights into an AAC design that best supports users’ communication. First, we applied the work domain analysis (WDA) to a popular commercial AAC system, Proloquo2Go. Data were gathered from guided AAC system use, domain experts, and the syntactic rules of the English language. The WDA exposed unmet needs in the commercial system. We then applied worker competency analysis to consider different approaches to present information and support user actions. The design included graphic forms and process views, and their integration into viewports and the workspace. Our novel application of CWA uncovered new considerations in AAC interface design and presents a nascent area of investigation, namely, AAC displays that more effectively support users’ goals. Future investigation will evaluate the mental workload of this AAC interface compared to that of current commercially available systems.

Highlights

Communication is the intentional or unintentional act of providing or receiving information (National Joint Committee for the Communication Needs of Persons With Severe Disabilities, 1991)
This paper describes a prototype alternative communication (AAC) interface created through the application of the Ecological interface design (EID) framework to speech-based communication
Through an abstraction decomposition framework, we developed a model of AAC communication that relates the functional purposes to the competencies of the system

Summary

Introduction

Communication is the intentional or unintentional act of providing or receiving information (National Joint Committee for the Communication Needs of Persons With Severe Disabilities, 1991). An electronic speech- generating device (SGD) is a popular example of an AAC technology. A user either triggers the machine-enunciation of a small number of predetermined messages, whereas in a more advanced deployment, the user selects combinations of symbols, pictures, phrases, words, or letters to compose a message that is subsequently machine articulated. Current commercially available electronic speech generation AAC devices employ a digital user interface as a means of control. Users access digital interfaces directly, with a touch screen, or through a switch that leverages voluntarily controllable actions

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