open-standards/aac/aac-rs/tools/pagesets/DESIGN-themes.md
Transaction Science 8306784d39 aac: the reference app is the AAC Reference App, no longer "Express"
"Express" is also TD Snap's page-set name in the same field. The standard's
reference app is now called the AAC Reference App: READMEs, crate docs,
tool docs and the page-set design notes (which now say it was renamed). Its
default title, without AAC_APP_TITLE, and its manifest name are
"AAC — reference app". Code identifiers are unchanged.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <[email protected]>
2026-10-10 22:42:12 -04:00

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Themed phrases: one 6 × 3 page per part of the day

themes.obz, built from phrases/sources/themes.yaml. Shared conventions: DESIGN-phrases-common.md.

A quick-phrase style for people who read, or who are learning to, and want the likely messages of a situation on one page: sentence starters, the words that finish them, and whole messages, side by side. The style is common to several commercial apps (report §1.1, "Express"); nothing of theirs is used here — not their themes' wording, page names, positions or the name "Express" (which our app was also previously called; it was renamed the AAC Reference App to avoid the collision). The nine themes, their 153 starters, words and messages, and the layout below were written for this project.

The pages

Themes (the home page, 3 × 6): the nine themes, and nine quick messages that every situation needs — Yes, No, Please, Thank you, Help me please, Wait please, I don't know, Stop, Hello.

Nine theme pages, each 3 rows × 6 columns:

Theme Starters (add words, said with the message) Words that finish them Whole messages (said at once)
Hello and chat How was your · Tell me about · Did you see · I really like day · weekend · the game · the news · your family Hi! How are you? · I'm good, thanks. And you? · Nice to see you! · What's new? · That's great! · Oh no! · Me too! · See you soon!
At home Can you · I want to · Where is · Let's watch TV · go to bed · take a shower · help me · my phone Good morning! · Good night! · I'm home! · What's for dinner? · It's too cold / hot in here. · Can you turn the light on? · Can you help me with this?
At school Can I have · I need · Where is · I finished my book · a pencil · the bathroom · a break · my work Good morning, everyone! · I know the answer! · I don't understand. · Can you show me again? · This is fun! · This is hard. · What do we do next? · I'm done!
At work Can we have · I need · I'm working on · When is the meeting · a break · lunch · more time · the report Good morning! · Can we talk later? · I'll get back to you. · Please send me an email. · I agree. · I have an idea. · Let me think about it. · See you tomorrow!
Meals Can I have · I'd like · I don't like · Please pass water · bread · more · the salt · a napkin It's delicious! · I'm hungry. · I'm full. · I'm thirsty. · Not too much, please. · Can you cut this for me? · I'm finished, thank you. · What's for dessert?
Going out Let's go to · Can we go to · Where is · I'm looking for the park · the store · a café · the car · the bathroom Let's go! · Wait for me, please. · How much is it? · Can I pay by card? · I'm tired. Let's go home. · Can we go slower? · Excuse me. · Thank you for your help.
Health My · It hurts when I · I need · I can't head · stomach · hurts · move · my medicine I don't feel well. · I feel better. · I'm in pain. · I feel dizzy. · I feel sick. · Please call the doctor. · I need to lie down. · I need help now!
Feelings I feel · I'm feeling · That makes me happy · sad · angry · worried · tired · excited I'm OK. · I need a hug. · I need some time alone. · Please listen to me. · I'm proud of myself! · Thank you for helping. · I love you. · How do you feel?
Free time Let's play · I want to watch · Can we go · I like a game · cards · music · a movie · outside Your turn! · My turn! · I win! · Good game! · Again! · That was fun! · Let's do something else. · Turn it up, please.

Layout

Every theme page is laid out the same way, so a person who knows one knows all nine:

 col:   0            1        2        3        4        5
 row 0  All themes   starter  starter  starter  starter  word
 row 1  word         word     word     word     message  message
 row 2  message      message  message  message  message  message

(Feelings has three starters and six words, so the last two cells of its first row are words.) All themes is always the top-left cell: the way back to the theme index is on the page itself, reachable by switch and gaze (defect D1).

Colour tells the three kinds apart within each theme's own hue: starters are the darkest shade, words a pale shade, whole messages white. Starters add their words to the message without saying them (ext_aurasense_action: "buffer"); words and messages are said and added. A person builds "How was your" + "weekend" and presses Speak, or presses "Hi! How are you?" and it is said at once.

Choices made

  • 18 cells, one page, no deeper pages. A theme is a single page; there is nothing to get lost in. More words for a theme belong in the person's own cells (Track B) or in the intent-first or core sets.
  • Starters that finish naturally with the theme's words. Every starter has at least one word on its page that completes it grammatically in English, most have several ("Where is" + "my phone"; "Can I have" + "water" or "bread"; "I can't" + "move"). In other languages some combinations need a different form (gender, case); translators chose the form that works best and noted the rest.
  • Adult and child alike. The themes cover home, school and work, so one set serves a student and an employee; a person hides the pages they don't need.
  • Spoken aloud only. The Health page says so to the partner; "I need help now!" sends nothing.

Not yet

  • More themes (shopping, travel, religion and celebrations, sport, the person's own hobbies) are a source edit away: add a board to themes.yaml and a link on the index.
  • "Chat" parking (keeping a message to say later) is an app feature, not a page.