DesignPrototyping2025

Designing Sarcasm: Reclaiming Voice, Humor & Identity

I redesigned the interface of an Alternative and Augmentative Communication device to help people with speech impairments express tone, emotion, and humor, guided by research with individuals living with Motor Neuron Disease (MND).

Problem

People who rely on text-to-speech tools often lose the ability to express tone, sarcasm, or emotion making their communication feel flat and impersonal.

Solution

Built and deployed a working voice interface prototype, as part of a Master's program in Design and Innovation, enabling users to shape how messages sound using pitch, pacing, and emphasis.

Impact

Turned synthetic speech from flat and robotic to expressive and human
Empowered users to communicate with nuance and personality

Designing Humor into Assistive Speech Technology

Most AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) devices help people with speech impairments communicate clearly — but that clarity often comes at the cost of personality. For people with Motor Neuron Disease (MND), who increasingly rely on these tools as speech becomes difficult, this can be especially frustrating. In interviews and literature, a consistent theme emerged: users couldn't express humor or sarcasm. Timing, pitch, and personality were flattened — and for many, that felt like losing a part of themselves. This project explores how we might restore some of that expressive power. I designed and prototyped an interface that lets AAC users shape how their message is delivered using pitch, speed, emphasis, pauses, and elongation — key elements of sarcastic and humorous tone.

"I used to be the one making jokes — the life of the party. I won't be able to keep that up as this progresses."

From Research to Prototype

With a problem statement in place, I used the Double Diamond design method to produce a possible solution. I explored existing literature to deepen my understanding on AAC user needs specific to sarcasm, and also to understand the phonetic qualities of sarcasm. I derived crucial insights from this research that directly guided all ideation and design decisions. The first prototype went through a round of feedback from a speech specialist. A second and final version was created after the round of feedback.

Research

Research Shows AAC Breaks the Cues That Make Humor Work

A study on the use of AAC found that the 'ability to add delay and emphasis' to rendered speech and the 'ability to change speed of delivered [speech]' were important needs. A participant in this study found that he could not properly convey sarcasm via AAC because 'timing is key [for humor].' Another participant stated:

Research participants:

A detailed interview with a person living with MND who had begun losing speech
A casual conversation with a second person recently diagnosed
Secondary research on AAC usage and phonetic features of sarcasm

"I want to be able to control spacing and speed and tone, like pitch — if you could have a dial to control the speed as it's playing or just pause it so someone can talk back and you can have a more natural conversation."

"Each day presents countless frustrations as humor and incisive comments require timing and inflection"

"No sense of humor — it [humor] just doesn't come across in the same way — it doesn't pause where you would pause, that's a really big one."

A study that aimed at finding the phonetic properties of sarcasm found the following general characteristics in utterance: lowered pitch or heightened pitch variability, slower speech rate and increased pauses. These findings correlate with users' desires and needs and thus guided the design process.

Define

What Makes Humor Work: Pitch, Speed, Pausing

From both user research and the science behind sarcasm, it was clear that the following needs exist:

Control Pitch
Control Speed
Control Pausing

Develop & Test

Testing Low-Fi Controls for Pitch, Speed, and Pausing

I started with paper prototypes and low-fidelity Figma wireframes. The goal was to test how users might control sentence delivery through visual and tactile cues.

Initial ideas included:

Floating, draggable words
Sliders and levers for pitch and speed
Tap-to-emphasize or pause functionality

Develop & Test

Prototyping Interactions for Tone: Emphasis, Pitch & Speed

I then prototyped the interactions a user would take to:

Add emphasis
Raise the pitch of one word
Add a pause
Slow down delivery

Drag a word to raise or lower pitch

Interface showing word being dragged vertically to adjust pitch

Add pause by dragging button between words

Interface showing pause button being dragged between words

Slow down or speed up delivery

Interface showing speed control slider for speech delivery

Extend a word by dragging and dropping the button

Interface showing word extension control through drag and drop

Visual cues for all effects

Interface showing all visual indicators for speech effects applied

Develop & Test

Expert Feedback: Reduce Effort, Simplify Actions

I presented the prototype to an MND specialist. They called the initiative brilliant, suggested the following changes:

Reduce dragging effort from user
Reduce spacing effort from user
Simplify interactions for faster use

Deliver

Final Design

Based on feedback, I simplified the interface:

Replaced drag-and-drop with a popup menu
Added visual cues for active effects
Prioritized ease of use on touch interfaces
Added full sentence effects

Adding Emphasis on a Word

Speeding a Word Up

Slowing a Word Down

Raising a Word's Pitch

Lowering a Word's Pitch

Adding Full Sentence Effects

Next: Test With AAC Users, Validate Humor, Improve Accessibility

The final prototype delivered on its goal: empowering AAC users with a way to infuse humor, sarcasm, and personality into their speech. By focusing on how something is said — not just what is said — the tool opens up new dimensions of self-expression, creating room for nuance, tone, and playfulness in a space often defined by limitation. Designing for people with disabilities reminds us that design is never just functional — it's emotional, contextual, and deeply human. Even when accessibility isn't the focus, this perspective helps us see that our work shapes more than interactions. It shapes connection. Whether we're crafting voice, movement, or interface, behind every experience is a person trying to be understood — and our responsibility is to make space for their full expression.

Next steps:

Test the prototype with AAC users and real communication partners
Evaluate if sarcasm/humor is perceived as intended
Add a preset system to save commonly used voice styles
Explore more accessible controls for users with motor limitations