Effectiveness of Assistive Communication Board Design of Applying to Enhance Cognitive Ability and Usability

ICDC’08 2008 International Conference on Digital Content. Chungli, Taiwan.

Effectiveness of Assistive Communication Board Design of Applying to Enhance Cognitive Ability and Usability

Chuan-Po Wang1 , Chien-Hsu Chen2, Ming-Feng Wang3

1 Department of Industrial Design, Cheng-Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, Graduate student

2 Department of Industrial Design, Cheng-Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, Associate professor

3Graduate School of Industrial Design , Tung Hai University , Taichung, Taiwan, Graduate student

*Corresponding author

Sheng-li. 6 N. Room 405., No.1, University. Rd., Tainan City, Taiwan ,701, ROC

e-mail: p3896105@mail.ncku.edu.tw

ABSTRACT

This research uses PMLS (Picture Master LanguageSoftware) to create the interesting communication board and combine four kinds of multimedia in order to enhance studying, cognition and communication interaction (include vocabulary, picture, sound and animation). By way of PMLS, we build life idiom of school communication board system to improve the communication disorders in studying and cognitive ability. Besides, it expects to evaluate the user pleasure and delight, decreases the user boredom and frustration. This pilot study assessed the performance of two participants, aged 17 and 21, who used augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems before and after a weeklong aided language stimulation intervention program. They were compared in two groups of participants, including normal cognitive group 1 and weaker cognitive group 2. Pre/post test data were analyzed to evaluate the participants’ communication cognitive ability and studying quality effectively when using life idiom of school communication board system. Results indicate that participants improved their operating performance, and reached the precise familiar degree. It made very apparent progress by training and designing items of the interface distinguished correctly, average time, communication of finishing degree independently or communication of passive response and so on. These gains were more advancement in studying and cognitive ability when the participants used life idiom of school communication board system. It not only extends the participants to express their emotion easily, but improves the user's language ability greatly.

Keywords: Communication board, Communication disorders, Augmentative and alternative communication;Aided language stimulation