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Interviews and Focus groups
First, we explored what went well and poorly with current socially-connective technology for older adults (20 in the USA, 20 in Japan)
Benfits
- They liked that current technology (text, phones calls, video calls) helped them keep in touch with distant friends and family
- While they preferred in-person interaction, video calls was next best, and often preferred over phone
Sally said, “What I like is that, even though you are not actually here, I can see you. I can… see your face, which means that I can sort of read your expressions.”
Challenges
- Frustration about technological glitches, poor call quality, lack of responsiveness
- Technology fails to convey elements of in-person interaction (e.g., non-verbal communication, tone, turn-taking, sense of shared space)
Winston said, “I miss… the camaraderie that you can mimic but not really recreate when you’re not in person”
Things to improve
- Older adults wanted simple, easy-to-operate technology
- They wanted an increased feeling of others being present with them when talking from a distance
- They wanted the ability to detect others' emotions
Next steps
Next, we wanted to learn how robotic technology could enhance these benefits and mitigate these challenges. To do so, we ran a participatory design study.
Participatory Design
Interviews and Focus groups
We asked participants what they wanted in robotic technology to help them socially connect with others. Because many people do not know what capabilities robots have, it would be easy for people to suggest robotic solutions are not feasible. Therefore, we created a novel approach to participatory designed to better learn users' needs by grounding them in reality.
Novel participatory design approach
- Ask about their own experiences with existing technology
- Show a series of short video clips of current robotic technology and capabilities
- Run iterative participatory design, in which participants suggest new technologies, take turns sharing them with the group, and build on each other’s ideas.
Robot designs
Common design themes were:
Avatar robot
- Physical presence while staying remote
Robots to facilitate social distancing
- Maintain social distance (to protect during the COVID-19 pandemic) while sharing space with friends
AI assistance
- Social media etiquette coach
- Suggests potential new friends
Pet robot (Japan)
- Something to keep people company
Next steps
Based on the enthusiasm for the avatar robot, in the US and Japan, we chose to explore how a robot like this could help older adults socially connect with others. The best existing technology to do so with is mobile telepresence robots - which provide videoconferencing while a pilot drives them around. We ran a longitudinal study to examine how people come to accept the technology and how they would want to incorporate it into their lives long-term.
Longitudinal Study
Mobile telepresence robots improved relationships
We put telepresence robots in the homes of seven older adults (ages 60+) for seven months. Each month, we interviewed users after a shared activity between the older adult and a family member or friend via the telepresence robot. We coded interviews using thematic analysis to find themes in the robots’ effect on social relationships, uses older adults had for the robots, and user personas related to acceptance and use of the robots.
Mobile telepresence robots improved relationships
- Most participants began the study apprehensive about the robot, but became comfortable by the end
- The robot became "part of the family"
- Some participants developed an emotional connection, gendered it, and named it (e.g., "Bob")
Marcella: "It feels like they [my friends on the telepresence robot] are in-person.”
Javier: "It made our [friendship] closer"
Uses
Older adults came up with new uses for the telepresence robot, and with new uses they wished they could use it for, which future advances could help with
New successful uses
- Cooking
- Gardening
- Board games
- Dinner party
- Hide and seek
New desired uses
- Act like a smart device (like Alexa or Google Assistant)
- Call 911 in emergencies
- Extend independent living
Sasha: “We played hide and seek with the kids and the grandkids [via the robot], and that’s a lot of fun. They like to play with it.”
Technical needs
Addressing these technical needs will help improve acceptance of telepresence technology:
- Increased robot mobility
- Increased visual range
- Improved Wi-Fi connectivity
- Ease of logging system
- Increased privacy
What affects acceptance?
Some user characteristics or contexts improved the chances of robot acceptance
- Internet bandwidth to support technology
- Familiarity with technology
- Support from family or friends to troubleshoot technology
- Mindset of curiosity and adventure
- Specific goals for using the robot (e.g., reconnect with daughter)
Other characteristics decreased chances of acceptance
- Robot failures, especially early on
- Limited user manual for robot use
- Limited use of novel technology
- Passive use of the robot, waiting for it to conform to user needs
- Mismatched expectations of what the robot can do
Ways to support users for technology acceptance
- Support users in early use of robot (e.g., physically visit users houses to help set up and teach how to use the robot; provide a detailed user manual, including different mediums for different types of learners, such as text and video)
- Test technology for usability with customer base
- Clear advertising and examples of what the robot can and cannot do to help users match their expectations
Personas
We came up with three main personas, shown below, for a standard user (Sasha), early adopter (David), and disuse case (Jessica). Using these personas can help practitioners consider how older adults may respond to their technology in the long-term and who may need extra support to accept and use the technology.
Personas from Longitudinal Study with Older Adults and Telepresence Robots
