People with aphasia (PWA) experience persistent communication difficulties that affect social participation, independence, and quality of life. Although Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) technologies can support communication in structured settings, many existing systems remain static, pre-programmed, and insufficiently responsive to the dynamic contexts of everyday life. Consequently, communication breakdowns frequently occur during spontaneous or unfamiliar interactions, contributing to reduced autonomy, communicative fatigue, and abandonment of assistive technologies. This thesis investigates whether a context-aware AAC system grounded in users’ lived experiences can better support spontaneous communication during unplanned activities. A multi-phase research design was adopted, integrating contextual inquiry, participatory design, and prototype evaluation. Qualitative studies involving people with aphasia, caregivers, and speech and language therapists from the UK and SA explored communication challenges in real-world situations. Findings revealed that communication difficulties are strongly influenced by environmental and social context, and that personal photographs serve as valuable resources for topic initiation, identity expression, and conversational support. Analysis of participants’ personal photo collections further identified recurring contextual patterns associated with communicative priorities. These findings informed an adapted participatory design framework that enabled meaningful involvement of people with aphasia throughout system development. Through accessible co-design activities, participants contributed to the design of MemoSnap, a photo-centric AAC prototype featuring shallow navigation, reduced text dependency, and contextual organisation linked to communication situations. The prototype was subsequently evaluated through usability testing and field deployment, demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed design principles and their potential to support spontaneous communication. The thesis contributes by advancing AAC beyond static vocabulary structures toward context-responsive design, validating personal digital photographs as communication resources, introducing participatory methods adapted for aphasia populations, demonstrating the value of sustained user involvement, and identifying cross-cultural differences in perceptions of AAC stigma. Overall, the research provides a foundation for future adaptive communication technologies for people with aphasia.
