Designing a robot through prototyping in the wild

Abstract

This paper describes the design and initial evaluation of Dewey, a do-it-yourself (DIY) robot prototype aimed to help users manage break-taking in the workplace. We describe the application domain, prototyping and technical implementation, and evaluation of Dewey in a real office environment to show how research using simple prototypes can provide valuable insights into user needs and practices at the early stages of socially assistive robot design.We present the design and initial evaluation of a desktop robot for managing breaks as a case study of developing contextually appropriate robots through iterative prototyping in situ. Rapid prototyping can be used to incorporate observations from user and environment interactions early on in the process of robot design, so that resulting technologies correspond to user expectations and contextual constraints [1]. Though not as robust as finished products, rapid prototypes are less expensive to design and test out, enable the participation of users as well as designers in the design process, and provide fast feedback for learning. We describe how our design is based in a real-world problem, defined through the exploration of break management practices in an office with potential users, and validated through implementation in the context of use. In the evaluation, we tested whether the robot's collocated presence and minimal embodied cues would be a successful alternative to existing computer-based technologies for break management. DESIGNThe relevance of break management as an application domain is supported by research stating that regular breaks from work help to relieve and prevent injury 1 and alleviate boredom and fatigue [3]. Our initial user studies also suggest 1

Designing Robots in the Wild: In situ Prototype Evaluation for a Break Management Robot

“…Existing technological interventions in this domain include various computer applications using verbal, audio, or visual cues to remind people to take a break (e.g., Morris, Brush, & Meyers, 2008), as well as the Breakaway prototype (Jafarinaimi et al, 2005), an embodied ambient display for break management. We provide more information on existing break management technologies and their comparison with our system in prior work (Reeder et al, 2010;Šabanović et al, 2011). Research on socially assistive robotics (e.g., Kidd & Breazeal, 2008;Tapus, Matarić, & Scassellati, 2007) suggests that embodied and socially interactive technologies can have stronger positive effects on behavioral change and compliance in users than computerbased technologies.…”

“…Through this process, we also gained insights about the evaluation of HRI prototypes "in the wild" as a way to contribute to our understanding of the socially situated dynamics of HRI that can be a resource for further design. As the details of the first two studies have been published previously (Reeder et al, 2010;Šabanović et al, 2011), we summarize relevant insights here and provide a more detailed account of the third iteration of our break management prototype. Table 1 summarizes the main aims and findings, while Figure 2 shows the timelines of the three design iterations.…”

Together We can Figure It out: Groups Find Hospitality Robots Easier to Use and Interact With Them More than Individuals

“…Consumers often interact differently in real hospitality environments than in laboratory settings. Additionally, conducting studies in a live hospitality setting can help to discover new variables or unexpected patterns which may merit further study (Fraune et al, 2015;Šabanovic et al, 2011).…”