Fried-Oken, M., Jakobs, T. & Jakobs, E. (2018, February). SmartPredict: AAC app that integrates partner knowledge into word prediction. Presentation at the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) Annual Conference, Orlando, Fl.
SmartPredict is a novel dual-app AAC system being developed in conjunction with the RERC on AAC. The technology is inspired by the message co-construction communication strategy, where meaning is jointly created by conversation participants. SmartPredict enables a person with complex communication needs to maintain complete control over the message that he or she produces, while knowledgeable partners augment the AAC app’s prediction capabilities by suggesting contextually relevant words and phrases, in real time, using a second app. A prototype has been tested with five literate adults who rely on AAC, using an alternating treatment single case design. Results demonstrate the value of adding the familiar vocabulary source with active language models to increase efficiency of message generation with a keyboard-based AAC app. We present video of using SmartPredict and data showing that words/minute, content information units, and user experiences favor SmartPredict app for typing full messages.