Adoption and Configuration of Assistive Technologies: A Semiotic Engineering Perspective
Katherine Deibel · 2007 · Proceedings of the 9th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '07) · doi:10.1145/1296843.1296890
Summary
This paper from the University of Washington proposes applying semiotic engineering — an HCI design methodology rooted in semiotics (the study of signs, symbols, and their meanings) — to address the high abandonment rate of assistive technologies. Studies show that approximately 35% of assistive technologies are abandoned after purchase. The paper argues that this abandonment stems from breakdowns in communication between the designer and user through the interface. In semiotic engineering, the interface is understood as the designer's deputy — a partial realisation of the designer's intended message to the user, limited by the computer's inability to reproduce the full complexity of human language. When users experience difficulty or confusion, it represents a failure of the interface's signs to convey their intended meaning. The paper identifies several factors influencing AT adoption: configuration difficulty (especially for people with cognitive disabilities), stigmatisation associated with using AT, social and cultural factors affecting the decision to use or reject a technology, visibility of accommodations potentially revealing a disability, and the need for fine-tuning to individual users across a diversity of difficulties.
Key findings
Deibel proposes that the AT interface (the "designer's deputy") should address four key questions: What does this AT do? Why will it help with my disability? Will it help with my ability? How do I configure and use it? Each question addresses different factors known to influence adoption, from stigmatisation concerns to technical configuration challenges. As a proof of concept, the paper describes an assistive application for people with reading disabilities that combines a document viewer with a collection of interoperable reading tools, guided by an "AT Deputy" — an intelligent recommendation system. The AT Deputy first presents the user with a screening questionnaire to identify which tools will be most effective, then presents recommended tools with demonstrations and configuration wizards. For example, a user identified as having phonological processing difficulties is shown a text-to-speech tool and a phonetic respelling tool. When the user finds the TTS too visible (stigma concern) but is willing to try respelling, the system guides configuration — including using IPA notation instead of childish-looking respellings, available on demand rather than always visible.
Relevance
This paper addresses a critical and often-neglected problem in assistive technology: tools are worthless if they are never used, and a 35% abandonment rate represents enormous wasted investment and unmet needs. The semiotic engineering lens offers a fresh perspective on why AT fails — not just because of technical limitations, but because the interface fails to communicate effectively about what the tool does, how it helps, and how to configure it. For practitioners, the concept of the AT Deputy — a guided onboarding system that addresses both technical and psychosocial barriers to adoption — is directly applicable to modern AT design. The paper's attention to stigma as an adoption barrier is particularly important: features like always-visible accommodations or childish-looking interfaces can drive users away even when the underlying technology works well. The approach of letting users control the visibility and presentation of their accommodations respects user autonomy and dignity.
Tags: assistive technology · technology adoption · semiotic engineering · technology discontinuance · reading disabilities · dyslexia · design methodology · configuration · stigma