Comprehensive guide to Pictalk Buddy: your digital companion for robust communication, adapted agenda, interactive sequences, and visual notebooks, with pictograms and images

What is Pictalk Buddy?

Pictalk Buddy is an application that serves as a digital companion with a robust communication module, an adapted agenda, sequences, and a life notebook for people experiencing cognitive disabilities or neurodevelopmental disorders that cause increased anxiety and reduced autonomy throughout the day. Examples include autism, ASD, DYS, and trisomy 21.

We drew inspiration from communication binders and weekly planners in paper form often found on refrigerators, as well as more traditional agenda applications. The app also offers sequences (or procedures) and notebooks.

Pictalk Buddy provides voice output via a speech synthesis voice and includes a pictogram search engine from ARASAAC, Sclera, Mulberry, ParlerPictos, and OpenMoji. You can also import images from your photo library. Pictalk Buddy has a notification system to support autonomy.

Installation

The app is available on Android and on iOS. You can also access the app directly from your web browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, etc.) at this address: https://buddy.pictalk.org/

You do not need to create an account to start using Buddy. Once installed, the app works offline to view events.

How to use it?

Five tabs, five modules focused on different needs...

Pictalk Buddy combines everything a person with an NDD needs daily in a single application.

The Robust AAC module

The Adapted Agenda module

The Interactive Sequences module

The Visual Notebooks module

Your profile, your settings

The Robust Augmentative and Alternative Communication Module
The Robust AAC module of Pictalk Buddy enables non-verbal individuals or those with expression difficulties to build sentences, access their vocabulary, and be heard with a natural voice and a tool designed for daily use.

The Agenda module
The Agenda module offers a clear and intuitive visualization of daily or weekly events through customizable pictograms and images. Designed to promote your autonomy, this module also provides advanced features like event repetition, integration of detailed sequences, and speech output of content.

 

The Sequences module
This module allows you to create step-by-step interactive sequences useful for guiding daily activities such as brushing teeth or job-related tasks like maintaining landscaping equipment.

 

The Notebook module
Visual notebooks let you keep track of daily moments: activities, outings, highlights; using photos, videos, pictograms, and text. This module is especially useful for individuals who struggle to verbally recount their day: by flipping through the notebook together, they can show, comment, and share. It is a good entry point to language.

Settings
Pictalk Buddy is highly customizable to accommodate a wide range of users. 

The Robust Communication (AAC) Module

Understanding the interface

The module is organized around a customizable grid of pictograms. The grid layout supports muscle memory: each pictogram always occupies the same place, allowing faster navigation over time.

Extensive and progressive default vocabularies are integrated, built around the most frequent everyday words. They are adaptable for each profile and age and come from the Open AAC database.

List of available vocabularies. Sorted by type (motor planning, pragmatic approach, categorical organization)

At the top left, a small arrow lets you access your vocabulary list. You can have multiple vocabularies according to situations, for example a quick mode with essentials and a full mode for more elaborate communication. Each vocabulary can be configured independently: language, display type, color coding.

Access to vocabulary menu

Vocabulary settings

At the top right, the three dots provide access to display and edit options:

• Word search with guidance
• Print an assistive communication board directly from the app
• Enable edit mode to modify the grid
• Change layout: grid (customizable number of rows and columns), fixed (same number of columns), or automatic (adapts to device)

Access to vocabulary actions

In edit mode, drag and drop pictograms to rearrange them. You can also select multiple pictograms at once to edit, delete, hide, copy, or cut them. On tablets or phones, long-press to access the interface.

Drag and drop operation

Word 'hide' operation

Sentence construction and autocorrection

The phrase bar at the top of the screen shows selected pictograms as you add them. Click it to enter phrase mode: you can type on a keyboard, consult favorite phrases, or find previously spoken phrases.

Correcting a sentence in progress

To speak the sentence, press the blue button: the sentence appears enlarged on screen. The back arrow to the right of the speech button lets you navigate the vocabulary without losing the current sentence.

Sentence display

Tags automatically adapt to the subject and tense of the sentence. The app learns from your corrections and vocabulary to become increasingly personalized. Multiple levels of autocorrection and expansion are available, with real-time next word suggestion, similar to a keyboard.

Current word completion and next word suggestion

Creating a word

To add a word to your vocabulary, first switch to edit mode. Then click on an empty cell: a creation interface appears.

You can choose the displayed word, the associated image, the speech (the word read aloud, which can differ from the displayed word), background color of the cell, and optionally a shortcut to another board.

Module settings

Access to Robust AAC module settings

The Communication module is fully customizable. In the app settings, click on "Communication" to access these options:

• Auto-correction: levels of autocorrection and phrase expansion
• Vocabulary: management of pictograms and boards
• Sentences: configuration of phrase bar and favorites
• Display: grid size, layout, visual theme
• Usage statistics: monitoring vocabulary usage, useful for families and professionals

The Agenda module

Understanding the interface

By default, daily events appear vertically. Scroll down to see events for tomorrow, the day after, etc. Each day has its color, customizable in settings.

As shown in the screenshot, past events are grayed out. Upcoming events (here "Return home") are shaded gray. This reduces cognitive load when viewing the day.

To change display direction or switch calendars, click the three dots at the top right. You can select or deselect calendars, print the current week, or modify display: 1) infinite vertical display, 2) day-by-day, 3) week-by-week on tablet or computer.

This is what the event "Return home" looks like when in progress.

A bar with the event's color represents time passed in the event. When empty, the event is finished. A white dot with a yellow ball appears when sequences or tasks need validation, as here with the Sequence: "Prepare the backpack".

If you click the event, you have access to:

• A blue button to read the event aloud
• Detailed time slot (start and end time)
• All event images
• A time timer if the event lasts less than an hour
• A GPS point with shortcut to Google Maps

Creating an event

Creating events is easy and essential for effective use of Pictalk Buddy.

Each event includes several customizable properties:

• Title (visible directly in the Agenda view)
• Detailed description
• Start and end date and time
• Custom pictograms or images
• Ability to integrate step-by-step sequences
• Repetitions and alarms for better routine
• Task or event to support autonomy
• Optional address to facilitate travel

Each event can be read aloud using effective speech synthesis, enhancing accessibility and your autonomy.

The Sequences module

Understanding the interface

To start a sequence, simply click it. You then access the steps to follow, with a green button to validate each step once completed.

A timer may appear if the step is timed, with two possible modes: a maximum allowed time or a minimum time to wait before confirming.

You can also duplicate, modify, delete, export, and print the sequence. 

Creating a sequence

Creating a sequence with Pictalk Buddy is quick and intuitive.

Each sequence has a clear title and is broken down into precise steps.
Each step can include an image (pictogram or photo) or a video, accompanied by a personalized audio recording or automatic speech synthesis. 

You can categorize your sequences with labels such as Cooking, Hygiene, Health, among others, facilitating management and quick searching. 

The Life Notebook module

Understanding the interface

The life notebook is organized into chronological posts. Each post can contain photos, videos, pictograms, and text. Notebooks are accessible offline and synchronize automatically across all your devices.

Creating a post

Creating a post takes about two minutes. Add a title, media (photos, videos, pictograms), and publish. You can organize notebooks by theme or by person.

Shared notebooks

You can create shared notebooks accessible to multiple people or an entire group. In a shared notebook, members can comment on posts, react to them, and see who has read each message. This tool is particularly useful for maintaining the connection between family, educators, and support professionals while keeping a shared record of the person’s journey.

Pictalk Buddy Watch

Pictalk Buddy is also available on connected watches (WearOS 3+). The app lets you access the agenda, sequences, and communication directly on your wrist.

The watch displays the current event, allows you to validate tasks, view upcoming events of the week, and trigger sequences. Personalized notifications and alarms arrive directly on your wrist to support your autonomy throughout the day.

For installation, pairing, and feature details, see the Pictalk Buddy Watch guide.

Pictalk Buddy Pro

Pictalk Buddy offers a Pro plan for organizations supporting multiple people: Special education centers, sheltered workshops, outpatient services, schools, etc. It enables management of individual profiles, sharing of content (agendas, sequences, life notebooks) among team members, and provides family access at no extra cost—all managed from an administrator account.

Pro access requires membership in the Pictalk association. For more information and to schedule a call with our team, see the Pictalk Buddy Pro guide.

Settings

To meet the widest range of needs, Pictalk Buddy offers numerous customization options.

• Adjustable interface size (normal, large, XL)
• Color settings adapted for different vision impairments (protanopia, deuteranopia, tritanopia)
• Precise configuration of synthetic voice (voice choice, speed, tone)

Other tutorials

APF France Handicap's TechLab (written by Aurélie RÉGENT) produced a great guide about Pictalk Buddy (formerly Pictalk Buddy) available here: https://techlab-handicap.org/produit/agenda-caa/

Ressources école inclusive also made a tutorial of the previous app version available here: https://ressources-ecole-inclusive.org/agenda-caa/