Design Probes for AI-Driven AAC: Addressing Complex Communication Needs in Aphasia

AI offers key advantages such as instant generation, multi-modal support, and personalized adaptability—potential that can address the highly heterogeneous communication barriers faced by people with aphasia (PwA). We designed AI-enhanced communication tools and used them as design probes to explore how AI's real-time processing and generation capabilities—across text, image, and audio—can align with PwA's needs in real-time communication and preparation for future conversations respectively. Through a two-phase “Research through Design” approach, eleven PwA contributed design insights and evaluated four AI-enhanced prototypes. These prototypes aimed to improve communication grounding and conversational agency through visual verification, grammar construction support, error correction, and reduced language processing load. Despite some challenges, such as occasional mismatches with user intent, findings demonstrate how AI’s specific capabilities can be advantageous in addressing PwA's complex needs. Our work contributes design insights for future Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems.