A Stakeholder Value Framework for Augmentative and Alternative Communication

End-users of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) have diverse speech, cognitive, and motor abilities. AAC’s heterogeneous user groups and persistent usability issues create a challenging and rich design space. Our work takes a value-sensitive design (VSD) approach to develop a stakeholder value framework that describes stakeholders’ multi-dimensional roles and values. Our framework is based on (1) an empirical investigation—a survey and interviews—of AAC users and AAC conversation partners and (2) a conceptual investigation—a systematic literature review—of AAC HCI research. Emergent value themes were ease, fulfillment, acceptance, adaptation, safety, performance, autonomy, justice, design fulfillment, and business fulfillment. These themes inform how AAC end-users engage with AAC and how indirect stakeholders, such as AAC technologists, make choices that ultimately impact AAC users. Our stakeholder value framework and rich descriptions of AAC socio-technical barriers can inform AAC designers in making ethically sound decisions that support, not hinder, stakeholder values.