유니버설디자인 관점에서 AAC 디자인 개발 사례에 관한 연구

Abstract

(Background and Purpose) This study seeks the direction of effective AAC design by involving design students in the AAC development process with disabled people from the universal design perspective. It aims to develop a Korean version of AAC design that can express our national sentiments and feelings by utilizing the existing AAC, which tends to lack facial and emotional expressions. (Research Methods) Chapter 2 explores the concept of AAC and its users, the elderly and disabled. Chapter 3 examines four AAC design cases from the perspective of universal design. Chapter 4 summarizes the study results and suggests future AAC research directions. (Results) From 2021 to 2023, 2nd and 4th-year students of the Department of Universal Design at H University in Gyeonggi-do and Makerspace (UD Dream Factory) took the lead in developing AAC design. The most important part of this project was designing the faces of Koreans and the expressions they show. FGI was carried out to design faces of Korean men and women who can express emotions so that people with disabilities in various fields can understand them, and the final decision was made after several consultations with experts. ATRAC Gyunggi, and the Gyeonggi-do Safety Experience Centre cooperated in this process. In this project, disabled people and non-disabled students discussed and proceeded together, which served as an opportunity to broaden the understanding of disability. Producing three different AAC designs allows students to think about universal design by understanding the barriers disabled people face in communication. In addition, through the process of deriving the most effective design results, it is of great significance to practice social responsibility for the underprivileged and learn how to use design in a valuable way. (Conclusion) First, extensive user research should be conducted before designing AAC. Symbols should be designed from the perspective of universal design so that the elderly, foreigners, and people with language and intellectual disabilities can easily understand. Second, AAC assistive devices should adopt a User Interface Design that provides convenience and safety in consideration of the user's physical and mental difficulties. In particular, it is necessary to increase user satisfaction and reduce the stigma effect by providing a sophisticated design rather than emphasizing only functions for the disabled. Third, symbols should be designed considering Korean culture. Most AAC symbols currently in use cause confusion since they are imported from the US or Europe and do not reflect our culture and sentiment. Therefore, it is necessary to design and optimize their expressions or colours according to our culture. Fourth, a national-level approach is needed. As an IT powerhouse rich in resources and technology, Korea should pay more attention to AAC and support inexpensive devices and free downloads of symbols.