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Communication

Understanding a person's ability to communicate with devices or people in their environment requires extensive consideration of language. For the purposes of product design, communication is assumed to be the capability to understand or express simple sentences in speech or text. This is primarily a result of thinking in general, and in particular verbal thinking. It also involves visual thinking, memory, attention, vision and hearing.

A product interface makes a communication demand on the user. Text and speech can describe what controls do, provide feedback, issue warnings or commands, and provide detailed instructions. Usability is therefore dependent on the capability to

  • Perceive and understand written words and sentences on their own or in the context of a more complex environment
  • Perceive and understand spoken words and sentences in both quiet and noisy environments

Educational levels and social skills will influence a person's communication ability, and therefore affect product interaction.

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The Communication section was authored by Pat Langdon and Sam Waller
 

Further details

Visual and non-verbal communication

Here, the main concern is with linguistic communication in speech, writing, words and sentences. Other types of communication include visual, iconic, or symbolic messages, or non-linguistic sounds and gestures. Successful product design requires careful consideration of the many alternative types of communication.

Impairment and communication

Communication can be affected by impairment of the functions necessary for communicating.

  • Hearing impairments can cause difficulties with understanding verbal communication, and also generating speech
  • Visual impairments will affect the ability to read, and to interpret lip movements. They also affect the ability to detect and interpret other non-verbal communications that accompany speech
  • Cognitive impairments can affect the quality and quantity of linguistic capability
  • Language impairments may include a reduced vocabulary, or a poor understaning of words and grammar

In addition, variation in language skills across the population results in the need to accommodate a wide spectrum of vocabulary and competency in grammar when designing products. For more information on communication and language, see Harley (2001) Harley T (2001) The Psychology of Language: From Data to Theory. Psychology press, Hove, UK

  
The label on this stain remover uses text, familiar icons and simple diagrams to convey that it is potentially harmful.

Successful product design requires careful consideration of the many alternative types of communication

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Population statistics: Prevalence data

Communication ability level (in increasing order)

C1 Is impossible for people who know him/her well to understand. Finds it impossible to understand people who know him/her well
C2 Is impossible for strangers to understand. Is very difficult for people who know him/her well to understand. Finds it impossible to understand strangers. Finds it very difficult to understand people who know him/her well
C3 Is very difficult for strangers to understand. Is quite difficult for people who know him/her well to understand. Finds it difficult to understand strangers. Finds it quite difficult to understand people who know him/her well
C4 Is quite difficult for strangers to understand. Finds it quite difficult to understand strangers
C5 Other people have some difficulty understanding him/her. Has some difficulty understanding what other people say or what they mean
C6 Full communication ability

Ability levels refer to a person communicating with others who speak the same language

 
Graph showing the percentage of people in each communication ability level.

Graph showing the distribution of communication ability, where those with full ability (C6) are not shown

Important note
These communication ability levels and prevalence statistics are taken directly from the 1996/97 Disability Follow-up Survey (Grundy et al. 1999), which was commissioned by the government to plan welfare support. The GB adult population was 45.6 million at the time of the survey. Please see the Framework section for more detail.

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Population statistics: Demand and exclusion

No demand

  • The user is not required to communicate with other people

Low demand: The user is required to have sufficient ability to do things like:

  • Understand, or express themselves to strangers (albeit with extreme difficulty)
  • Understand, or express themselves to well known people (albeit with some difficulty)

Moderate demand: The user is required to have sufficient ability to do things like:

  • Understand, or express themselves to strangers (albeit with some difficulty)
  • Understand, or express themselves to well known people (easily)

High demand: The user is required to have sufficient ability to do things like:

  • Understand, or express themselves to strangers (easily)

Demand levels assume the user is communicating with others who speak the same language

  
Graph showing that just over 1% of the population are excluded by high communication demands.

Graph showing the number of people who would be excluded due to various levels of communication demand levels

Important Note
These statements refer to the level of communication ability that a product or service demands, in order to use it. For a particular demand level, the 1996/97 Disability Follow-up Survey is used to calculate the total number of people who do not have this level of ability, and will therefore be excluded. The GB adult population was 45.6 million at the time of the survey. Please see the Framework section for more detail.

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