Emoji has become the short form language of choice amongst many and it’s easy to see why. Instead of words, people can chat solely with a large catalog of pictures that have a nearly universal meaning, so it transcends regional barriers.
But while the utility of emoji seems to top-off as just a more fun and convenient form of chatting, Samsung’s new Wemojee app proves that emoji can also be a useful means to reintroduce communication skills to those suffering from disabilities. Who would have thought?
Time to take emoji seriously
Shown off in the video below, Wemojee is said to work as a solution for people who experience aphasia, the inability to talk, read or write. The woman in the video suffered from a cerebral aneurysm and while she can hear, she unfortunately can no longer express herself in the form of words, both spoken or written.
Interestingly, the speech therapy professionals that Samsung worked with to build Wemojee claim that people with this disorder (of which there are at least three million worldwide) can still parse the meaning of many emoji, including gestures and facial expressions.
The app contains 100 sentence units that can be expressed with emoji, which Samsung and its group of professionals have determined covers the spectrum of everyday needs and feelings. Not just that, this slender list keeps it to its objective of empowering its users to easily open the communication pathway with friends and loved ones without being too daunting.
Once the app is up and running, all parties involved will be able to communicate in a more meaningful way with emoji.
Bridging the communication gap
It has to be assumed that Wemojee can at some point be used between two people with aphasia, but Samsung focused on how the app can re-establish communication between someone with aphasia and a person without it.
The latest and greatest in tech is cool, but there’s something even more special about a project like Wemojee. Seeing those with disabilities represented in the tech space and finding new, unique ways to help others is the way forward.
Samsung’s Wemojee isn’t available now, but is said to be releasing this month for both iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.
