Anna Huna | ACC App

🟣 Project Overview

Anna Huna is an iPad-based AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) app designed to empower non-verbal children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to express their needs and emotions independently.

The app provides a structured, sensory-aware communication experience that reduces frustration and improves understanding between children, caregivers, and specialists.

Designed following Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) and accessibility best practices for iPad interaction, the experience prioritizes clarity, predictability, and emotional safety.

🚨 The Problem

Non-verbal children with ASD face significant barriers in expressing their needs and emotions in real time.

This often results in:

• Emotional distress and behavioral challenges

• Increased dependency on caregivers

• Misinterpretation of intentions

• Delayed responses in therapy and daily life

• Sensory overload caused by visually overwhelming digital tools

Existing AAC apps are often visually complex, lack Arabic language support, and fail to fully consider sensory sensitivities.

🎯 Project Goals

• Enable children to communicate independently

• Reduce frustration during daily interactions

• Provide caregivers with a structured and reliable AAC tool

• Create a calm, distraction-free interface

• Ensure usability both inside therapy sessions and in everyday environments

• Align with iPad interaction standards and accessibility principles

🔍 Research & Discovery

Methods

• Qualitative interviews with caregivers and specialists

• Analysis of communication challenges in non-verbal children

• Competitor analysis (Proloquo2Go, TouchChat HD, LetMeTalk)

• Review of sensory-friendly design principles

Key Insights

• Children are highly sensitive to loud sounds and bright visuals

• Arabic language support is limited in existing tools

• Overly complex layouts increase cognitive load

• Caregivers need fast, predictable interaction flows

• Familiar visuals and personalization increase engagement and trust

👤 User Personas

Norah — Caregiver

Needs:

• Reduced misunderstandings

• Emotional learning support

• Visual tranquility (calming colors, predictable layouts)

• Routine and clarity in communication tools

Pain Points:

• Frustration when children cannot express needs in the moment

• Lack of tools suited to children’s cognitive levels

Ahmed — Child User (7 years old)

Needs:

• Immediate expression of feelings and urgent needs

• Large, recognizable visual elements

• Low-stimulation interface

• A sense of independence and control

Pain Points:

• Sensory overload from bright visuals

• Heavy reliance on adults for interpretation

💡 The Solution

Anna Huna is a sensory-aware AAC experience that includes:

• Emotion expression boards

• Daily needs communication cards

• Arabic language support

• Text-to-speech functionality

• Voice recording per card

• Customizable card colors

• Caregiver-controlled personalization

• Offline usability

The interface was intentionally simplified to reduce cognitive load and support predictable interaction patterns.

🎨 Design Decisions

To ensure emotional safety and usability:

• Soft, low-saturation color palette to minimize sensory stress

• Large touch targets optimized for motor accessibility

• Clear and simplified iconography for instant recognition

• Reduced navigation depth to prevent confusion

• Personalization features to match the child’s familiarity preferences

• Designed in alignment with Apple HIG for spacing, hierarchy, and touch behavior

🔁 Iteration & Testing

Feedback from specialists and children led to measurable improvements:

• Increased button sizes to improve tap accuracy

• Added customizable card colors to enhance clarity

• Simplified multi-step flows to reduce confusion

• Redesigned icons for better recognizability

These iterations significantly improved usability and reduced interaction friction.

👩🏻‍💻 My Role

• UX research synthesis

• Problem framing

• User flow architecture

• Accessibility-focused UI design

• Interaction design decisions

• Iterative refinement based on real user feedback

📊 Deployment Status

Currently in closed beta testing via TestFlight with real users. Public App Store release is planned.

🌱 Impact

Anna Huna reduces communication barriers and creates a calmer, more structured interaction experience for non-verbal children.

The app supports independence, emotional clarity, and improved caregiver-child understanding in both therapy and daily life contexts.

📚 What I Learned

• Designing for sensory-sensitive users requires intentional visual restraint

• Accessibility must be embedded from the first wireframe, not added later

• Predictability builds trust in neurodiverse interaction design

• Personalization increases emotional engagement and user ownership