How to use Broca
Broca is for people with non-expressive aphasia, but it’s also for friends and family, caregivers, medical professionals, and Speech Language Pathologists. It’s meant to help two people have a conversation.
The magic of Broca depends on how you talk to it. For examples of how to best use Broca, check out the scenarios below.
At the doctor’s office
Imagine you’re at the cardiologist's office for an appointment before a scheduled pacemaker procedure. Your family member would like to know what questions you have about the procedure and recovery.
Spoken prompt
Do you have any questions about the pacemaker procedure you’re having?
Discussing overnight help
Your adult daughter wants to know if you think it’s a good idea to have your caretaker stay overnight occasionally, to help out your husband.
Spoken prompt
What do you think about getting dad some overnight help?
Making lunch plans
A friend is taking you to lunch, and wants to know if you have somewhere in mind. She could ask if you want to go to a usual spot, or try somewhere new. Or she could ask what type of food you’re in the mood for. In this case, she asks for specific restaurant ideas nearby.
Spoken prompt
Is there somewhere in Scottsdale, east of 40th street, that you want to go out for lunch?
At the hair salon
In this scenario, imagine you’re at the hairdresser, and want to have a conversation with your stylist about how you’d like your hair cut and styled.
Spoken prompt
Ok, we’re at the hair salon doing your hair. We’re going to do a cut and color today. How much length do you want to take off?
Afternoon plans
Your adult daughter is in town and would like to know what you want to do this afternoon.
Spoken prompt
What sounds fun this afternoon? We can look at pictures, clean out your closet, or shop for makeup online?
A few more tips:
Broca is designed for a conversation between 2 people. You’ll need a partner or friend to speak their side of the conversation.
Sign in and tap “Start a conversation,” then select “Allow microphone” when prompted.
Broca is designed for an iPad. Hold the iPad horizontally. Swipe the cards to load more options.
Use the “Mute” button (the icon on the right, under the X) for side conversations. It's helpful to be able to mute your audio when you're talking to someone, otherwise the app captures your audio and the suggestions get sidetracked.
“Refresh all” or “Change the subject” using the buttons in the bottom left.
If the suggestions get off track, use the X in the upper righthand corner to exit the app and start over.
Broca doesn’t save your conversation history (but you could have that option in the future).
If the text on the cards is too long, too short, too boring, or not varied enough, tell it to change its responses. Experiment with it, and have fun!