Jump to Main Content
Jump to Top Navigation
Jump to Footer Navigation
University of Washington

University of Washington Information School

  • Programs
    • Informatics Undergraduate major and minor
    • MLIS Master of Library and Information Science
    • MSIM Master of Science in Information Management
    • Museology Master of Arts
    • Ph.D. Doctorate Program
    • Professional & Cont. Ed. Related programs & non-degree options
  • Research
    • Research Impact How our research drives progress and helps people
    • Updates The latest news from our faculty and research staff
    • Research Areas Core topics of iSchool research
    • Research Groups Hubs for innovative scholarship & research
    • Grants & Awards Recent funding for iSchool research projects
  • News & Events
    • News The latest stories from our community
    • Events What's happening on campus and beyond
    • Podcast Documents That Changed the World, with Joe Janes
  • People
    • Directory Find iSchool faculty, staff and students
    • Alumni Stay connected with the iSchool and fellow alumni
    • Advising & Support Find help from our team of student advisors
    • Faculty Affairs Making the iSchool a joyful professional community for faculty
    • I Am the iSchool Meet some of our students and alumni
  • The School
    • About Us The iSchool is home to innovators and leaders who make information work
    • Diversity We are committed to building an inclusive community
    • Employers & Partners How to collaborate with faculty and students
    • Capstone Students work with organizations to solve information problems
    • Support the iSchool Every gift makes a difference to students
Request Information
Information Tools
Search Menu
banner image

Research

Who Are You Asking?: Qualitative Methods for Involving AAC Users as Primary Research Participants

When trying to understand people's perspectives, qualitative researchers in HCI often use methods which assume participants can easily communicate verbally. There are few dedicated resources in HCI which provide an overview of qualitative methods to effectively gather the perspectives of people who cannot easily communicate verbally; specifically, people who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). As a result, AAC users might be excluded from studies using methods such as interviews or focus groups, even if they fit the researcher's target population. To address this problem, I review literature from both HCI and therapeutic AAC research fields to discuss methods used with AAC users. In addition, I present relevant case examples from my own qualitative research and propose a framework to guide HCI researchers on choosing appropriate methods when involving AAC users as central research participants. I also identify design opportunities for HCI researchers to innovate on the tools and methods used for qualitative research with AAC users. This paper provides an easily accessible overview of qualitative methods HCI researchers can use with AAC users as participants. 

Read the full paper.

Erin Beneteau

Back to main page

Projects in Human-Computer Interaction

  • Leveraging Collaborative Filtering for Personalized Behavior Modeling: A Case Study on Depression Detection among College Students
  • On the Steppe: Plain Talk Imagining Technology Used Wisely
  • Using Everyday Routines for Understanding Health Behaviors
  • When Screen Time Isn’t Screen Time: Tensions and Needs Between Tweens and Their Parents During Nature-based Exploration
  • Falx: Synthesis-Powered Visualization Authoring
  • What Makes People Join Conspiracy Communities? Role of Social Factors in Conspiracy Engagement
  • Visually Encoding Personal Data for Vulnerable Populations
  • Who Are You Asking?: Qualitative Methods for Involving AAC Users as Primary Research Participants
  • Where Are My Parents?: Information Needs of Hospitalized Children
  • Parenting with Alexa: Exploring the Introduction of Smart Speakers on Family Dynamics
  • “Eavesdropping”: An Information Source for Inpatients
  • Detecting Depression and Predicting its Onset Using Longitudinal Symptoms Captured by Passive Sensing: A Machine Learning Approach With Robust Feature Selection
  • Mobile Assessment of Acute Effects of Marijuana on Cognitive Functioning in Young Adults: Observational Study
  • Telling Stories: On Culturally Responsive Artificial Intelligence
  • What Makes People Join Conspiracy Communities?: Role of Social Factors in Conspiracy Engagement
  • Early adopters of a low vision head-mounted assistive technology
  • Being (In)Visible: Privacy, Transparency, and Disclosure in the Self-Management of Bipolar Disorder
  • Visualizing Personal Rhythms: A Critical Visual Analysis of Mental Health in Flux

News

A collection of children's books

'Bears will be boys,' but why? Professor investigates

Monday, September 29, 2025
“The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” and “Clifford the Big Red Dog” are just a few of the iconic picture books that have shaped childhoods for generations. The stories found in these pages teach their...
Read more
Ricardo Gomez

As a researcher and teacher, Ricardo Gomez always put people first

Thursday, September 25, 2025
Teaching rooted in real-world experience has always been a core value for researcher and professor Ricardo Gomez. Now having retired after 18 years at the Information School, Gomez has left a lasting impact both in the classroom and in the...
Read more

Events

Sep 29
 
12:00-1:00PM

Ph.D. in Information Science Information Session

Zoom / Online
Sep 29
 
12:30-2:30PM

Career Fair Prep Drop-Ins

Mary Gates Hall 420
Sep 29
 
4:00-5:00PM

Informatics Program Overview for Transfer Students

Zoom / Online
Sep 30
 
3:00-4:00PM

"Why Museology?" Prospective Student Information Session

Zoom / Online
iSchools.org
  • Jobs
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Logo & Brand Guidelines
  • IT / Help Desk
  • Bluesky
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Make a Gift
iSchools.org
© 2025 UW Information School
Box 352840 - Mary Gates Hall, Ste. 370
Seattle, WA 98195-2840
United States of America
206-685-9937
Close menu
Toolkit
Request Information

Search:

All People
  • Programs
    • Informatics
    • MLIS
    • MSIM
    • Museology
    • Ph.D.
    • Professional & Cont. Ed.
  • Research
    • Research Impact
    • Updates
    • Research Areas
    • Research Groups
    • Grants & Awards
  • News & Events
    • News
    • Events
    • Podcast
  • People
    • Directory
    • Alumni
    • Advising & Support
    • Faculty Affairs
    • I Am the iSchool
  • The School
    • About Us
    • Diversity
    • Employers & Partners
    • Capstone
    • Support the iSchool

toolkit

  • iSchool Intranet
  • MyUW
  • Outlook on the web
  • Office 365
  • Workday
  • UW Time Schedule
  • UW Academic Calendar
  • Knowledge Base
  • Watermark
  • Azure Dev Tools
  • Canvas LMS
  • Qualtrics
  • Emergency Info
  • Site Login
Loading Results...Loading search results, please wait.

Highlights

Full Results

See Full Results
See Full Directory

Customize Your Experience

  • Future Students
  • Current Students
  • Faculty & Staff
  • Everyone