Effect of Introducing Ambiguous Word Alerting Tool in ASD-Dominant Workplace

Abstract

In workplaces where there are many people with high ASD tendencies, there is a social problem of high turnover rates due to experiences of communication failures within the workplace, as miscommunication is likely to occur. In particular, the possibility of misinterpreting ambiguous words differently from the speaker's intention increases following the strength of the ASD tendency, and it has been found that this is a significant cause of miscommunication. In order to solve this problem, we are developing a tool that detects and notifies ambiguous words spoken in online meetings and encourages speakers to rephrase them in clear words. We introduced this tool into a workplace where many people with high ASD tendencies worked for about two months. We observed a decrease in the number of ambiguous words detected during online meetings at work. In interviews with participants, we also received reports such as 'the number of reworks has decreased due to the clarification of content,' confirming the effectiveness of introducing it into the workplace.