Connection Over Correction: Why We Prioritized Empathy in our Engineering
In the world of Assistive Technology, there is a tendency to focus on “Correction.” Traditional tools are often designed to make a child’s communication look “standard” or “proper.” But as a Senior UX Designer and a Software Engineer, we believe the goal of technology shouldn’t be to correct a child—it should be to connect with them.
When we started building this free AAC app, we made a conscious choice: Empathy would be our primary constraint.
To read the full story of how CommBoards was built, see Our Story.
The “Anxiety” of the Interface
Have you ever used a piece of software so cluttered and confusing it made you want to give up? Now, imagine being a child with sensory processing differences trying to use that same software to ask for a drink of water.
From a UX perspective, a cluttered screen isn’t just “bad design”—it’s a barrier to a human relationship. That’s why we prioritised:
The best AAC interface is one the child forgets is there. Our measure of success isn’t “how many features did we ship?” — it’s “how quickly can a child find the words they need to connect with someone they love?”
Engineering for the “Micro-Moments”
In engineering, we often talk about “Optimisation” in terms of server load or battery life. But in AAC, we optimise for The Hug. If a child uses their app to say “I love you,” and the app lags, crashes, or requires a Wi-Fi login, that emotional micro-moment is gone.
The most important communication moments never happen at a desk with a stable Wi-Fi connection. They happen in the back seat of a car, at a birthday party, at the supermarket. We engineered offline-first from the ground up — not as an afterthought.
The Power of a Familiar Voice
One of the most empathetic features we’ve implemented is Audio Recording. While high-quality synthesised voices are great, they can feel “robotic.” By allowing parents to record their own voices—or even a sibling’s voice—for each cell, we turn a digital device into a personal bridge.
Hearing a loved one’s voice come from the tablet creates an immediate emotional anchor. It’s not just “output”; it’s a shared language.
Why We Stay “Agile”
Because we are a small duo, we can lead with empathy in a way big corporations can’t. When a parent tells us a specific feature is causing their child frustration, we don’t put it in a two-year roadmap. We open our laptops and fix it.
We don’t want to “correct” how your child speaks. We want to provide the most empathetic, invisible, and reliable engineering possible—so that nothing stands in the way of your next connection.
Technology that gets out of the way.
CommBoards is free to download. Give your child a voice that feels like home.
Download CommBoards →About the Makers: CommBoards is built by a husband-and-wife team combining Senior UX Design and Software Engineering to create more accessible pathways for non-verbal children.