Soliciting BCI user experience feedback from people with severe speech and physical impairments

Abstract

Brain–computer interface (BCI) researchers have shown increasing interest in soliciting user experience (UX) feedback, but the severe speech and physical impairments (SSPI) of potential users create barriers to effective implementation with existing feedback instruments. This article describes augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)-based techniques for obtaining feedback from this population, and presents results from administration of a modified questionnaire to 12 individuals with SSPI after trials with a BCI spelling system. The proposed techniques facilitated successful questionnaire completion and provision of narrative feedback for all participants. Questionnaire administration required less than 5 minutes and minimal effort from participants. Results indicated that individual users may have very different reactions to the same system, and that ratings of workload and comfort provide important information not available through objective performance measures. People with SSPI are critical stakeholders in the future development of BCI, and appropriate adaptation of feedback questionnaires and administration techniques allows them to participate in shaping this assistive technology.

Keywords:

• Brain–computer interfaces
• user feedback
• communication aids for disabled
• patient outcome assessment
• quadriplegia
• assistive technology
• augmentative and alternative communication

Acknowledgements

Financial support in part from NIH Grant 1R01DC009834. A portion of this publication was developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant H133E140026) to the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (RERC on AAC). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this publication do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, or HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. The authors wish to thank Dr. John Simpson for his insightful feedback and suggestions, and Amy Golinker for her assistance with preparation for publication.