Basic Communication Support

The User Experience Therapist approach to Customise Phone, Devices & Tablet for a Disability using Ecothesis™ and Orchestration to Outcomes™

Many people at first glance assume my work involves “general IT help.” This is not the case.

My work is a specialised, structured communication support discipline grounded in three trademarked methodologies: User Experience Therapist™ (UXT), Ecothesis™, and Orchestration to Outcomes™(O2O). These approaches have been developed specifically for people with disabilities who rely on everyday digital tools—phones, tablets, and smart devices—to communicate, plan, participate, and manage their routines.

--- CRITICAL CONTEXT: RISK MITIGATION & SUPPORT WORKER CAPACITY ---

The rapid shift to digital communication creates a complex risk problem for the entire care ecosystem. Carers and support workers are increasingly requested to assist participants with sensitive communication activities involving complex account structures, privacy, and security requirements (e.g., two-factor authentication, portal access, password resets, management, cloud structures).

Due to the inherent complexity of these ever-changing systems, support staff often lack the specific skills or professional indemnity insurance required to manage incorrectly configured systems or troubleshoot technical security errors. This places the participant, the support worker, and the organisation at unnecessary risk. My specialized configurations mitigate this risk by ensuring the digital environment is professionally simplified, secured, and established with predictable protocols that align with basic support worker training.

This page explains:

the necessary risk mitigation provided by specialized configurations,
the profound shift in what "communication" means today,
how my work aligns exactly with AT Level 1 – Basic Assistive Technology,
how my methods differ fundamentally from general IT services,
why these human-centred frameworks exist, and
how they support participants, support workers, families, and allied health professionals (OTs, Support Coordinators).

1. The Digital Burden: Communication Failure in the Modern World

Modern society has redefined communication—not as a simple conversation, but as a complex, multi-step digital task. For many participants, the simple communication of the past is no longer directly available, necessitating structured support.

The Old Model: Communication as a Conversation

Historically, communication meant direct interaction. A single conversation established clarity, certainty, and completion.

Characteristics: Single channel (phone), Human-led, Low cognitive load.
Outcome: Communication = exchange of meaning + completion of action.

The Modern Model: Communication as a Digital Burden

Today, most essential life tasks are routed through systems, not people. To communicate with government, banks, or services, individuals are immediately redirected back to: the app, an online form, a portal, a multi-step verification loop, or a document upload process.

The communicative act is now task navigation, not meaning exchange. For people with cognitive, memory, literacy, or motor challenges, this is not communication—it is obstruction.

Characteristics: Multi-channel, System-led, High cognitive load.
Outcome: Communication = navigating a technical process just to convey basic information.

The Consequence: Communication Failure Disguised as “Self-Service”

Organisations label this shift as “self-service,” but the result for many participants is communication breakdown, emotional overwhelm, and a resulting loss of autonomy. The system has offloaded its administrative tasks onto the individual, requiring the support worker or carer to step in and assist in navigating this complex pathway.

The Professional Implication:

Communication now includes the ability to navigate, configure, and operate the digital pathways required to communicate.

You are not "doing IT"; you are restoring a person’s ability to communicate with essential systems.

This modern definition of communication now includes:

Managing logins and identity credentials.
Operating portals and apps.
Ensuring correct notifications and reminders.
Integrating platforms so people don't miss critical updates.

If someone cannot operate the communication pathway, they cannot communicate—period.

2. My Professional Role: User Experience Therapist (UXT)

User Experience Therapist is my non-clinical role description and trademarked methodology for helping people achieve independence and stability in their daily communication using mainstream digital tools.

Unlike IT technicians who focus solely on hardware, updates, and device performance, my focus is on the human experience of interacting with those devices and the resulting communication capacity required to manage the digital burden.

A User Experience Therapist is a non-clinical specialist focused on:

Simplifying digital environments for clarity and predictability.
Aligning technology setup with a participant’s communication capacity and cognitive load.
Creating stable digital foundations that support therapeutic goals.
Observing behavioural patterns, not technical faults.
Designing environments support workers can follow consistently.
Stabilising communication routines across changing staff and handover periods.
Supporting, but not replacing, clinical professionals (OTs, SLPs).

This role sits firmly within Level 1 Basic AT communication support: non-clinical, everyday technology used for daily living and independence. My scope is communication purpose, not technical performance.

3. Ecothesis™ – Communication and Environmental Control Framework

Ecothesis™ is my trademarked framework for designing, simplifying, and stabilising the communication environment, integrating the immediate digital sphere with the physical home environment.

The name Ecothesis is derived from the Greek: Eco (oikos) meaning Home, and Thesis meaning To Put or Place. The purpose of the framework is to ‘Put Independence into the Home’ by integrating smart devices and voice control to match the capacity of the client.

Most participants do not struggle with intelligence or ability — they struggle with inconsistent, cluttered, or constantly changing technology environments that undermine their confidence and independence.

The Outcome: Mitigated Physical Risk and Enhanced Autonomy. Ecothesis transforms everyday devices, including smart home systems, into a stable, predictable communication and control environment. By routing essential tasks through voice control, it significantly reduces strenuous movements (like turning off lights or adjusting fans), thereby minimizing the incidence of falls and maximizing physical independence.

Ecothesis™ is built around four pillars of human-centered digital environment design:

Simplicity: Reducing clutter, duplicate apps, unnecessary prompts, and overwhelming interfaces to manage cognitive load.
Safety and Control Integration: Enabling voice control for essential environmental factors (lighting, air conditioning, fans) and routine tasks (asking for weather, time, news). This ensures control is achieved with minimal physical movement.
Data Alignment and Monitoring: Integrating mainstream smart devices (like smartwatches or movement sensors) to provide real-time alerts to carers regarding critical changes (e.g., heart rate, temperature, or unusual movement patterns). This data is incorporated into the overall measurement model of the client’s support plan.
Predictability for Support Teams: Providing support workers with clear, repeatable instructions so the setup stays stable and isn’t accidentally altered or broken during shift changes.

This is not technical support. It is environmental communication design and integrated safety planning.

4. Orchestration to Outcomes™ – Assessment and Planning Method

Orchestration to Outcomes™ is my trademarked method for identifying communication barriers, mapping capacity, simplifying daily routines, and coordinating support teams and allied health professionals toward a common digital goal.

Where Ecothesis™ focuses on designing the environment, Orchestration to Outcomes™ focuses on understanding the person, the team, and the workflow around them.

This framework maps:

The participant’s communication goals and digital strengths.
The behaviours or routines that break down communication (e.g., missed reminders).
How staff currently interact with devices and where mixed messages occur.
How appointments, reminders, and messaging currently fail.

The purpose is to ensure that any device configuration change serves a clear, measurable communication outcome, not simply cleaning up devices.

Common Outcomes Include:

Fewer missed appointments.
Reduced support time wasted on repetitive digital tasks.
Calmer, more predictable routines.
Better coordination among all support staff.
A participant who feels capable and more independent.

This methodology cannot be reproduced by general IT services because it is human-centred and focuses on communication capacity, not device performance.

5. Why This Work Fits Under AT Complexity Level 1

Level 1 Basic AT is defined as: “Everyday items that assist a person with communication, daily activities, safety, or independence — and can be set up by the participant, a support worker, or a family member.”

My work aligns exactly with this category by providing Basic AT Communication Support:

I support participants with:

I do not support:

Using their phone, tablet, or smart speaker for communication.

Device repairs or hardware maintenance.

Managing calendars, messaging, and reminders for daily routines.

Business or enterprise IT networks.

Simplifying interfaces to reduce overwhelm and cognitive load.

High-risk, restricted, or medical AT prescriptions.

Maintaining consistency in setup when support staff change.

Engineering, programming, or server installation.

Everything I do involves basic, everyday mainstream Assistive Technology used for communication and daily living, delivered through structured, repeatable frameworks.

6. How This Differs From General IT Support

Support coordinators, families and OTs often state: “This looks like IT, but it’s not IT.”

This is the fundamental difference:

Aspect

General IT Support

User Experience Therapist + Frameworks

Core Purpose

Fixing machines, hardware, and network connectivity.

Stabilizing communication capacity and daily routines.

Focus

Technical performance and software updates.

Cognitive load, predictability, and human experience.

Outcome

A working device.

Independent communication and reduced confusion.

Applicable

N/A (General Business Expense).

Level 1 Basic AT (Communication/Daily Living).

Staff Focus

Basic device repair or troubleshooting.

Protocol adherence to prevent setup breakdowns.

IT fixes machines. I stabilise communication environments. This difference is why my work is classified under Level 1 Basic AT, not IT services.

7. Why Professionals Request This Support

OTs, support coordinators, carers and other support workers commonly refer participants to me because communication breakdowns often have little to do with core behaviour or capacity, and far more to do with the digital environment friction, specifically the Digital Burden outlined in Section 1:

Inconsistent digital routines.
Confusing interfaces and cluttered home screens.
Sudden changes made accidentally by different staff.
Mismatched reminders or notifications on different devices.
Fatigue caused by digital decision overload.

When these environmental layers are cleaned up and stabilised, participants:

Communicate more independently.
Follow routines with less stress.
Rely less on staff for basic digital tasks.
Experience fewer behavioural escalations.
Feel more in control of their day.

Ecothesis™ and Orchestration to Outcomes™ create the stable, predictable foundation that successful therapeutic plans depend on. Allowing professionals to suggest software and plug and play off the shelf technology for the benefit of the client.

8. Summary of Trademarked Frameworks

My work uses three trademarked, structured frameworks to provide communication-focused support:

Framework

Role and Function

Key Focus

User Experience Therapist™ (UXT)

Non-clinical communication specialist focused on the human experience of digital tools.

Human-centred design and cognitive alignment.

Ecothesis™

Framework for simplifying, stabilising, and aligning everyday communication devices, voice-controlled smart systems, and integrated safety monitoring.

Predictable digital environment & Fall Risk Mitigation.

Orchestration to Outcomes™ (O2O)

Method for assessing capacity, mapping routines, and coordinating staff toward stable communication outcomes.

Measurable communication goals.

Together, these create a unique, repeatable and compliant approach to communication support that cannot be replicated by general IT workers, and that sits fully within AT Complexity Level 1 — Basic Assistive Technology.

For a summary PDF or referral template, please contact me.