Background: AAC systems needs to align with the languages and cultures of the users. Currently, a significant number of South Africans requiring AAC are unable to use their home language through appropriate aided AAC systems. This includes an estimated 80 000 persons in need of AAC from a Sepedi language background. Human centered design (HCD) has the potential to be applied as a decolonizing methodology, foregrounding stakeholder voices in the design of culturally and linguistically appropriate AAC systems for marginalised groups.
Aim: The aim of the study was to develop and evaluate a non-electronic Sepedi graphic symbol-based AAC system for children from Sepedi language backgrounds requiring AAC through the use of a human-centred design (HCD) process. In this presentation, the HCD process will be explained and its utility in the design of AAC systems for marginalised populations will be discussed.
Method: A qualitative community-engaged participatory approach was used, guided by HCD principles and processes. The study comprised of three phases. During the first phase focus groups and interviews with 21 adult stakeholders (teachers, speech-language therapists, parents of children requiring AAC, adults using AAC and linguists) were conducted in order to determine the need for and design requirements of the system. The second phase consisted of iterative design cycles of prototyping and stakeholder feedback, employing methods such as experience prototyping and the nominal group technique. During the third phase three special school teachers shared their perspectives about the system through individual interviews with the researcher after a two-week period period during which each teacher implemented the system with one learner in need of AAC.
Results: During the first phase, stakeholders from different groups contributed to confirm the need for the system, identify possible contexts and purposes of system use, and delineate specific design requirements regarding vocabulary, graphic symbols, layout and organisation, and physical properties of the system. Experience prototyping used during Phase 2 was especially useful to ensure that user experience was addressed in the design, and the iterative nature of this phase ensured that stakeholder feedback was a key driver of the design process. Qualitative feedback from teachers after implementation confirmed that the HCD process resulted in a system that was found to be feasible, useful as well as contextually, linguistically and culturally appropriate and acceptable. According to the participants, HCD process was experienced as empowering and led to stakeholder ownership of the process.
Conclusion: Participants found HCD to be a useful method to enable stakeholders to bring their critical knowledge of cultural and linguistic norms, preferences, and communication styles to bear on the design process to ensure that the designed AAC system aligned with their values and practices, and that the system was experienced as relevant and useful. HCD enabled a level of power sharing and ownership by stakeholders of the process, ensuring that indigenous knowledge was recognized, respected and incorporated in the design process.
