SwiftKey the popular keyboard app has launched a new app specifically for symbol-based assistive communication called SwiftKey Symbol on Android. The app is said to be targeted as individuals with special needs, the use of which will make non-verbal means of communications easier for the user.
The app is targeted at users who have difficulty in talking an learning, to help them in communicating better with the contextual language prediction technology. The SwiftKey staff who have Autism members in their families have come up with an idea for this app. It is not just designed for users with Autism but with all types of users having learning disabilities.
With the help of SwiftKey’s core prediction and personalization technology which learns the users patterns and choices and adjusts itself will be a great boon for this app to show users their routine-based activity and show favorites. Users of SwiftKeys Symbols help to build a sentence by choosing images, hand-drawn each by SwiftKey team members. The images are separated by categories or form a prediction slider powered by the SwiftKet SDK. The company’s predictive technology understands the users routine activity and shows images relevant to them quickly.
The SwiftKey Symbol also factors in the time of day and day of the week to make predictions more accurate and personalized. This will show the symbols which the user has selected at the same time last week in case there is a music class or any weekly class making ti easier for them to show. You can personalize the app by adding in your own images which are more easier for the particular user.
Staff at Riverside School including Charlotte Parkhouse, Speech & Language Therapist with whom SwiftKey has worked with, says, “The communication opportunities that this app will provide are amazing. The flexible use of symbols will allow pupils with severe communication difficulties to express themselves in meaningful ways and the predictive symbol function means that it can be truly personalized. Brilliant!”
You can Download the App for free on your android device from Google Play Store. It is a very good application as we all use swiftkey on a day to day basis and we have an idea of how the adaptive technology works in proving personal inputs for each user.
Source: Swiftkey
