Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is a form of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) in which the user of an AAC device must successfully select and/or retrieve information stored in their device in order to construct utterances needed for spoken and/or written communication. With the advent of computerized AAC devices, it is possible to automatically track and analyze many aspects of user device performance through the computerized analysis of logfiles. Performance aspects such as communication rate, keystroke savings, device use, vocabulary diversity and error patterns can be generated easily. As partners in the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center, the University at Buffalo (UB) and Enkidu Research developed a standard format for logfiles, which is being engineered into an increasing number of commercially available AAC devices. UB and Enkidu have also created software that takes the logfile data and performs statistical analyses relevant to research in the AAC field. Currently, however, there are no tools available to assist practitioners in the analysis of their client's AAC device use. The primary goal of the proposed Phase I project is to develop specifications and prototypes for a practitioner-based tool to analyze logfiles. The proposed Phase I project will complete all the preliminary work needed to develop a commercial automated data logging and analysis sottware application called the Performance Assessment Tool for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (PAT-AAC). First, an extensive analysis of AAC logfiles will be undertaken to ensure automatic measurements for frequency, duration and content are accurate. Second, specifications for a prototype will be developed through focused consultation with members of the AAC community including practitioners, researchers, developers and AAC device users. Third, recommendations from specialists in communication privacy and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) will be incorporated to ensure ethical and legal collection, analysis and exchange of information derived from automatic data logging. Finally, feasibility testing of a prototype application will be undertaken using AAC practitioners from a variety of disciplines (speech-language pathologists, rehabilitation engineers, occupational therapists, etc.).
