Stella's Stuff!

especially on tumblr, when people think of AAC, they only think of high tech, symbol based, and without any assistive technology. it doesn't just start and end with apps! there is so many options <3 (heart). and i think it is really cool that theres so many creative solutions to access communication!

i also think it's important not to limit in our heads, what a certain disability aid looks like, and who uses it and why. in my experience on this website, not many people include spellers, Deaf or blind (or both) AAC users, and AAC users with motor related disabilities (who can't press buttons on a screen), and a lot of other types of AAC users (racialized AAC users are especially left out, or kicked out, no matter what kind of AAC they use).

i truly believe from the bottom of my heart that all AAC users can learn and benefit from each other. i think we need each other. its an ecosystem, not a monoculture.

i hope something good happens to you today! thank you so much for reading :3 (smiley)

also before anyone asks me, YES! the phone and tablet are t4t. they are girlfriends. and they are in love.

[PT: A guide to making AAC symbols, for emoji artists. End PT]

Making symbols for AAC is not as easy as adding the AAC symbols tag to one of your normal emojis. Here are some things to keep in mind when creating AAC symbols.

AAC symbols should be representative, not abstract. [PT: AAc symbols should be representative, not abstract.]

An AAC symbol is usually used by an AAC user to distinguish the button they want from the other buttons on the page. Most AAC users scan in some form, and many look for the symbols and not the button's label, meaning that an AAC symbol should in some way be a visual symbol for the concept. This means that wordmojis do not typically work as AAC symbols.

2. The symbols are typically seen only by the user and not who they are speaking with. [PT: The symbols are typically seen only by the user and not who they are speaking with.]

In a Discord emoji, both the person communicating and who they are communicating with see the emoji. With high-tech AAC, typically only the AAC user sees the symbol, with the people they're talking with audibly hearing the words instead. There are some exceptions, such as light tech AAC or situations where an AAC user is showing their screen to who they are talking with, but they are generally exceptions.

3. Avoid low contrast. [PT: Avoid low contrast.]

An AAC symbol on a button is generally very small, and it is usually one of many buttons on a page, and it is usually on a coloured backdrop. Furthermore, there are many AAC users who are blind or low vision. Having high contrast on your symbols, such as by making the lineart much darker than the filling, makes your symbol easier to see and makes the details easier to notice.

4. High levels of detail usually disappear on an AAC board. [PT: High levels of detail usually disappear on an AAC board.]

Because buttons are small and there are usually many buttons on a page, high levels of detail tend to be very hard to notice when a symbol is on a button. Furthermore, lots of detail can make a symbol visually busy and thus potentially overwhelming for an AAC user.

5. Many AAC users dislike words on their symbols. [PT: Many AAC users dislike words on their symbols.]

Most AAC users have words on the button label already. For some, this means that having words on the symbol as well is redundant, overwhelming, or annoying. If you put words on your symbols, it is best to also provide a version without words for those who prefer that.

For context, I'm colorblind and a designer

I made some mockups for what the horizontal layout and light mode on my AAC app would look like

When you turn your phone sideways I'm thinking it would keep all of the icons locked in the same place on your screen, so an icon on the bottom right when you're holding your phone vertically would be on the upper right when holding it horizontally.

As always I love critical feedback! Tell me why my designs could create problems, don't be afraid to be nitpicky and annoying!

As far as feedback, I would say that motor planning is a huge aspect of using AAC, and that is based on where things are. Keeping the buttons in the same place like you're saying, sounds like it would be good, but actually would make things harder instead of easier. Let me see if I can explain lol

Because then the user has to like rotate the aac grid in their head to know where buttons are, instead of always going to the same place relative to holding the phone. Idk if that makes sense? Like. Hmmm. The muscle memory (motor planning) is what many of us rely on.

Like if i am expecting a button the be in the bottom right in portrait mode, when i am landscape, I also want it to be in bottom right, that is where I will look for it and move for it because my body is used to that location.

*some* people might be able to use it back and forth between portrait and landscape modes like that, but i know for me and probably others who rely heavily on motor planning, I would just have to pick one orientation and stay with that, if the buttons don't move based on orientation.

It seems counter-intuitive that moving the buttons helps with the motor planning part. But moving the buttons to stay consistent *positionally* and relative to the device/person is important. Your way actually does move the *position* relative to the screen view, even though it's the same physical place on the screen, that's the part that really affects motor planning. A person would have to learn two locations for every button, one for portrait and one for landscape.

I assumed that everyone would be using my app in either landscape or portrait mode, and not switching between the two, which is why I designed it the way I did, but that assumption was incorrect!

I'm designing an AAC app and these are all the features we're thinking of including so far, I'd love to have feedback on any ideas here that you hate or love, or if you have any suggestions for additional features.

Features we're 100% going to include:

Adjustable grid size

Upload your own icons

Word conjugation/pluralization modifier buttons

Type words to TTS using your phone's built in keyboard

Button borders can be toggled on/off

Change border thickness

Multiple button fill options:

Delete words from text bar

Clear words from text bar

Choose between multiple board layout presets

Create new buttons/folders

Edit+move buttons/folders

Button's pronunciation can be different from button's text

Play audio on button press can be toggled on/off

Dark/light mode

Tons of accessibility options

Option to lock editing/changing settings behind a password

Search for icons in a built in catalog

Help- documentation/tips

Change font size

Change font

Set a font for wordmojis

Features we want to include:

Multiple profiles with separate settings for each

Separate voice for each profile

Set sound output device- remembers your choice next time there is an option

Next Word Suggestions

Synonym options for your most recent word, replaces that word when clicked

Change button size, would probably shrink the other icons in the same row to make room

Row spacers, to visually break up different sections of your board and make boards easier to read and tell apart at a glance

Color palate presets

Customizable color palates

Voice models with tons of settings:

* Pitch [deep <--> high]

* Speed [slow <--> fast]

* Resonance [masculine <--> feminine]

* Articulation [slurred<--> enunciated]

* Intensity [whisper <--> shout]

* Intonation [static <--> melodic]

* Breathiness [soft <--> sharp]

* Vocal fry [gravely <--> clear]

Upload your own icons to the catalog so other users can download and use them

Icon search filters- creator, color, category (people, animals, etc.)

Share/download boards from the internet

Use custom images for button/folder backgrounds

Fullscreen mode to show sentence instead of/in addition to speaking it

Eye tracking input method

Undo button

Adjust space between buttons

Adjust margin size

Other features we're considering:

Tone modifiers: yell, whisper, question mark, sarcasm warble, etc...

On hold features- hold on a word to bring up conjugation options? hold on a folder acts as if you pressed a button with the folder's name?

Quick zooming animations when you tap on a folder to help establish a mental map of the layout

Scroll bar to fit more buttons on a single page

Icon collage- create new icons by mixing and matching parts from other icons

Edit multiple buttons or folders at once

Board background colors/images

Built in AAC lessons

Save multiple layouts to go back to if you don't like your changes

Grammar correction options

Feedback is more than welcome!