Qualitative Analysis of Decision Making by Speech-Language Pathologists in the Design of Aided Visual Displays

For children with complex communication needs, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices offer a functional way to communicate thoughts and feelings. Despite many significant advances in the field, effective and efficient aided communication can remain a challenge for some clients and their partners. One critical element of aided AAC intervention is systematic attention to the design of the communication display itself. A well-designed display will foster communication outcomes; a poorly designed one might have the opposite effect. Surprisingly, to our knowledge there are no studies of the strategies that clinicians actually employ when putting together a display. In this research note, we examine, on a case-by-case basis, the strategies six clinicians used when constructing display pages, as a means of highlighting potential areas that might warrant systematic research on display design.