A Location and Situation-Based AAC Web Service with Automatic Synchronization of Individual Mobile Applications

People having difficulties in verbal expression have used mobile Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) applications. The location and situation-based AAC mobile application that recommends AAC boards based on users’ current location and communication situation was developed recently. Facilitators can manage AAC resources such as AAC symbols and boards on the mobile application, but, because of the fact that mobile devices are for personal use and their relatively small screen, facilitators have difficulty in managing and sharing AAC resources. In this study, we developed a location and situation based AAC web for facilitators. The web supports the same functions as the mobile app. In addition, the web makes it easy to share AAC resources among other facilitators, and provides a convenient user interface compared to the mobile app for facilitators. Furthermore, by supporting automatic synchronization of AAC resources generated by the web to individual mobile devices of AAC users using them, it is easy to develop and distribute AAC resources for individual AAC users of facilitators. We also conducted the usability evaluation of the web with 21 facilitators, and the results showed the web can ease the inconvenience and can improve efficiency of managing AAC users and hierarchical AAC resources for facilitators.