The Use of Emojis to Increase Clarity in Internal Communication Among Neurodiverse and Multicultural Employees

Abstract

This product-based thesis explores how emojis can be used to improve clarity in internal communication among neurodiverse and multicultural employees. Written digital communication often lacks tone, emotion, and other nonverbal cues. The absence of these can cause misunderstandings and increase stress related to communication. These difficulties are particularly challenging for neurodivergent individuals; this thesis focuses on autistic people, who often experience specific challenges with interpreting tone and intent. It also considers culturally diverse employees, who may interpret messages differently due to varying communication norms.

To address this issue, the aim of the thesis is to create a set of research-based and practical guidelines for using emojis to bring emotional cues to digital messages, with the goal of reducing ambiguity and misunderstandings. The target audience for this product is organizations with neurodiverse and multicultural teams that seek a tool to improve their internal communication. The development process began with theoretical research and personal observations and concluded with the collection of feedback from individuals with neurodiverse or multicultural backgrounds. The guidelines are designed to be simple, professional, and easy to implement, and are suitable for general use across various organizational settings.

The findings suggest that controlled emoji usage can help reduce emotional ambiguity and misunderstandings in professional communication. Based on the feedback, there is a need for this type of product, especially among neurodiverse individuals. However, the feedback also indicated that further testing and development are needed before the product is ready for full implementation.