Alieh is a PhD student researcher in the Inclusive Technology Research Team at QUT, working on different accessible technologies for people with disabilities through co-design. This includes a wide variety of digital technologies in the search, communication, robotics, augmented reality, etc. This research aims to focus on using pictures as part of the system’s conversation with people who communicate non-verbally.
Thesis:“An exploratory study of the contexts, intentions and perceived meanings of image-based communication of systems with people with intellectual disabilities/minimal verbal abilities.”
The main objective of this research is to investigate about different context, potentials, and challenges of using images as the main part of the conversations with people and systems. The study seeks to answer the following questions:
- How and what pictures do people use for self-expression, search, or other purposes?
- What type of connections are there between what they can see in the picture and the intent of selecting that?
- How much of the perceived meaning from an image is near to the intention and what information is needed to understand what people mean?
- How do audiences think and clarify the person’s intents in conversations?
- How does this process develop conversational system?
Expected outcomes of this research will be some publications on the data analysis and the development of communication prototypes and applications.
Rationale and Importance
Based on the principles of co-design, conducting this research will help us to gain a real understanding of people’s competence, assumptions, and expectations from technology, as we aim to create different ideas and trial practical solutions. Through an iterative process of adaptation and change, the outcome of this research will hopefully lead to benefit people with disabilities and the community. This research will lead to the development of algorithms and simple, engaging, usable, and socially inclusive communication tools and intelligent interfaces.
Publications:
QUT ePrints
Orcid ID:
PhD Supervisors:
Dr Laurianne Sitbon, Dr Dimity Miller, Dr Sirin Roomkham