The State of Assistive Technology
The broader implementation of AI is another trend that shaped much of what happened in assistive technology in 2018. Virtual assistants and other platforms are leveraging machine learning to improve the user experience, and Melinda Ziemer, director of marketing at LumenVox, says the result is that it makes things easier and more accessible for users. Ziemer also noted continued market pressures in the finance sector. “You see more adoption in that area,” she says. Because almost everyone at some time has a relationship with a bank—for daily cash flow needs, to borrow money, or to set up longer-term retirement funds and college savings accounts—financial institutions require robust assistive technology support. “Customers need to be able to call into a call center and use mobile apps, and that needs to be accessible for everyone,” Ziemer says.
Where people are accessing content continues to shift, with many users relying more heavily on their mobile devices than ever before. “I hear it almost every day, how people are accessing assistive technology and synthetic voices on their phones, such as when they’re traveling,” Stisser says. Users consume more than twice as many minutes on mobile than they do on desktops, and in the U.S., more than 88% of those mobile minutes are spent on app usage, according to Comscore. The trend toward increased mobile use also influences where, when, and how people require access to assistive technology.
A Look Ahead
As we move into 2019, Stisser expects to see improvements in online learning and education. Some of the gains will come as a result of dropping college enrollments and sagging brick-and-mortar programs, which sometimes aren’t as competitive. “If one out of every two students fail or drop out or don’t complete a course, they have to find different ways of educating these people,” Stisser says.
Institutions must figure out how to work with someone who doesn’t come to the campus, and new options that incorporate assistive technologies may be one strategy that sees increased attention. “Focusing on technologies that can be used in an online and offline fashion will be key in 2019,” Stisser says. “Due to limitations in classrooms, such as low or no internet connectivity, or due to the desire to offer solutions that can be used through a mobile app, there is a need to be able to serve individuals with tools that can accommodate their needs wherever they may be.”
Natural language understanding is an area Ziemer believes will see important progress in the near term. The processing is already available, but, she says, “it’s having that understanding when people are speaking.” As assistive technologies evolve to become better able to connect interactions and information—such as when a user says they need an umbrella and the technology links that statement to the current rainy weather conditions—the user experience will improve. Healthcare, with its growing dependence on devices and the Internet of Things, will also likely be a driver behind innovations in assistive technology in the years to come. “Some of these things take a long time to come to market, but it’s exciting to see the technology become mainstream,” Ziemer says.
By 2021, Technavio says market growth for assistive technology is forecast to reach $2.3 billion at a CAGR of almost 6%. Vendors who can solve the problems and pain points of users will reap the rewards.
Julie Knudson is a freelance business writer who specializes in technology. She also covers healthcare, cybersecurity, risk management, and hospitality. Reach her at www.julieknudson.com.
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