Accessible Feedback for First Nations Aged Care

ARRCS faced the challenge of ensuring that aged care residents—many of whom speak East Side Kriol, Pitjantjatjara, Warlpiri, or Yolŋu Matha—could intuitively and comfortably use the Tell Touch app’s feedback feature. For some residents, written translations alone would not suffice due to varying literacy levels and the need for an interactive, accessible solution on devices such as tablets and kiosks. ARRCS required a culturally appropriate and user-friendly communication system that would allow residents to provide feedback in their preferred languages while respecting their cultural and linguistic diversity.

Ethnolink provided a tailored solution that addressed these challenges through multilingual and audio capabilities. Before translation, a comprehensive consulting process was undertaken, which included a source text and language assessment alongside community consultation. Ethnolink collaborated with First Nations community members to revise the content into Plain English, ensuring clarity and accessibility for all users.

All software commands, prompts, and user responses were then translated into East Side Kriol, Pitjantjatjara, Warlpiri, and Yolŋu Matha, with each translation undergoing rigorous quality assurance and independent review to ensure accuracy and cultural relevance. To further enhance accessibility, Ethnolink produced high-quality audio recordings for all translated content, enabling residents to navigate the app intuitively, regardless of literacy levels. These recordings underwent extensive editing, quality checks, and technical adjustments before being seamlessly integrated into the app.

Ethnolink worked closely with the app developers to perform in-context app testing, ensuring that both written and audio translations functioned correctly and delivered a smooth user experience across all devices.