Child-centered home service design for a family robot companion.

The home robot-based child activity service aims to cultivate children's social emotions. A design theme was produced by interviewing child development experts and parents. The activity service is composed of 50 plays and 70 conversations. These were developed based on activities from psychomotor therapy and the guidelines of Ministry of Early Childhood Education in South Korea. In the field test, 50 children aged five-seven years participated to experience the activity services at home for 4 days. After completing the 4 days of field testing, we conducted customer satisfaction (CSAT) surveys, Godspeed evaluations and interviews to quantitatively and qualitatively verify the evaluations by the children and parents. As a result, 92% of the children and 80% of the parents evaluated that they were satisfied with the service. In addition, our results revealed that the social robot-based service contributed to improving the relationship between children and families by functioning as a messenger. Finally, the lessons learned from the service development and field tests were discussed to aid service designers and robotics engineers.

Designing an online course using an EXD model: A case of Human-Computer Interaction undergraduate course.

Designing an online course is a complex and resource-intensive activity with a focus on pedagogical and technological aspects. One approach is the e-learning experience design (EXD) model, which combines user-experience design concepts, such as agile methodology and design thinking. This study aimed to design a website and activities for an undergraduate human-computer interaction (HCI) online course based on the EXD model and analyze the students' learning experiences. The students' experiences were captured from two online surveys opened during the first weeks (n = 94 students) and at the end of the semester (n = 93). The surveys utilized the e-Learning Usability Questionnaire (EUS) and asked for suggestions to improve the course delivery. In addition, the students rated their experience in pain points when participating in the course. The findings show that adopting the EXD model for an online course design and implementing some design best practices can promote students' positive attitudes toward the course. The contributions of this study include an example of how an online course can be designed using the EXD model and a description of its effects on student attitudes.

"They Don't Come With a Handbook": Exploring Design Opportunities for Supporting Parent-Child Interaction around Emotions in the Family Context.

Parenting practices have a profound effect on children's well-being and are a core target of several psychological interventions for child mental health. However, there is only limited understanding in HCI so far about how to design socio-technical systems that could support positive shifts in parent-child social practices in situ. This paper focuses on parental socialisation of emotion as an exemplar context in which to explore this question. We present a two-step study, combining theory-driven identification of plausible design directions with co-design workshops with 22 parents of children aged 6-10 years. Our data suggest the potential for technology-enabled systems that aim to facilitate positive changes in parent-child social practices in situ, and highlight a number of plausible design directions to explore in future work.

Human-in-the-loop error detection in an object organization task with a social robot.

In human-robot collaboration, failures are bound to occur. A thorough understanding of potential errors is necessary so that robotic system designers can develop systems that remedy failure cases. In this work, we study failures that occur when participants interact with a working system and focus especially on errors in a robotic system's knowledge base of which the system is not aware. A human interaction partner can be part of the error detection process if they are given insight into the robot's knowledge and decision-making process. We investigate different communication modalities and the design of shared task representations in a joint human-robot object organization task. We conducted a user study (N = 31) in which the participants showed a Pepper robot how to organize objects, and the robot communicated the learned object configuration to the participants by means of speech, visualization, or a combination of speech and visualization. The multimodal, combined condition was preferred by 23 participants, followed by seven participants preferring the visualization. Based on the interviews, the errors that occurred, and the object configurations generated by the participants, we conclude that participants tend to test the system's limitations by making the task more complex, which provokes errors. This trial-and-error behavior has a productive purpose and demonstrates that failures occur that arise from the combination of robot capabilities, the user's understanding and actions, and interaction in the environment. Moreover, it demonstrates that failure can have a productive purpose in establishing better user mental models of the technology.

Distributed agency in HRI-an exploratory study of a narrative robot design.

We explore an alternative approach to the design of robots that deviates from the common envisionment of having one unified agent. What if robots are depicted as an agentic ensemble where agency is distributed over different components? In the project presented here, we investigate the potential contributions of this approach to creating entertaining and joyful human-robot interaction (HRI), which also remains comprehensible to human observers. We built a service robot-which takes care of plants as a Plant-Watering Robot (PWR)-that appears as a small ship controlled by a robotic captain accompanied by kinetic elements. The goal of this narrative design, which utilizes a distributed agency approach, is to make the robot entertaining to watch and foster its acceptance. We discuss the robot's design rationale and present observations from an exploratory study in two contrastive settings, on a university campus and in a care home for people with dementia, using a qualitative video-based approach for analysis. Our observations indicate that such a design has potential regarding the attraction, acceptance, and joyfulness it can evoke. We discuss aspects of this design approach regarding the field of elderly care, limitations of our study, and identify potential fields of use and further scopes for studies.

Enhancing Well-Being: A Comparative Study of Virtual Reality Chromotherapy Rooms with Static, Dynamic, and Empty Environments.

Chromotherapy rooms (CRs) are physical spaces with colored lights able to enhance an individual's mood, well-being, and, in the long term, their health. Virtual reality technology can be used to implement CR (VRCRs) and provide higher flexibility at lower costs. However, existing VRCRs are limited to a few use cases, and they do not fully explore the potential and pitfalls of the technology. This work contributes by comparing three VRCR designs: empty, static, and dynamic. Empty is just a void but a blue-colored environment. Static adds static abstract graphics (flowers and sea texture), and dynamic adds dynamic elements (animated star particle systems, fractals, and ocean flow). All conditions include relaxing low-beta and ocean sounds. We conducted a between-subject experiment (n = 30) with the three conditions. Subjects compiled a self-perceived questionnaire and a mathematical stress test before and after the VRCR experience. The results demonstrated that the dynamic condition provided a higher sense of presence, while the self-perceived stress level was insignificant. Dynamic VR conditions are perceived as having a shorter duration, and participants declared that they felt more involved and engaged than in the other conditions. Overall, the study demonstrated that VRCRs have a non-trivial behavior and need further study of their design, especially considering their role in a future where VR will be an everyday working interface.

Research on immersive interaction design based on visual and tactile feature analysis of visually impaired children.

To propose improved and innovative visual-tactile interaction design for visually impaired children, multi-modal combination approaches have been applied, such as voice interaction, touch interaction, and multi-modal systems, what's more, aided cognitive approaches help them deepen their understanding of objects, improve their cognitive level, and increase their interest. METHODS: To improve the amount of information in the visual-haptic interface by integrating multiple sensory information, based on the cognitive patterns of visually impaired children, a questionnaire was used to design a tactile-visual UI for the main content objects of visually impaired children when using the Internet, from which difficulties and problems in the design of visual-haptic for visually impaired children were found, and design improvements were proposed based on the principles and methods of accessible design. RESULTS: The personalized and humanized design activities enhance the confidence and improve the quality of life of the visually impaired children group and produce positive effects, improving the cognitive clarity of visually impaired children while increasing their level of understanding, imagination, learning interest and aesthetic experience. CONCLUSION: The physical and mental characteristics and visual and tactile characteristics of visually impaired children are analyzed, and the application of UI interaction design is based on these characteristics. The essence of interaction design is outlined through experiments, and it is found that with the development of the Internet, big data and artificial intelligence, visually impaired children have many difficulties in the use of the Internet, and through the improved practice of immersive interaction design, the humanized design approach is used to enhance visually impaired children's experience of using network interfaces. Through the improved practice of immersive interaction design, we improve the way of visually impaired children using the Internet, narrow the gap between them and normal children in the interaction, and give humanistic care.

Research Hotspots and Trends of Social Robot Interaction Design: A Bibliometric Analysis.

(1) Background: Social robot interaction design is crucial for determining user acceptance and experience. However, few studies have systematically discussed the current focus and future research directions of social robot interaction design from a bibliometric perspective. Therefore, we conducted this study in order to identify the latest research progress and evolution trajectory of research hotspots in social robot interaction design over the last decade. (2) Methods: We conducted a comprehensive review based on 2416 papers related to social robot interaction design obtained from the Web of Science (WOS) database. Our review utilized bibliometric techniques and integrated VOSviewer and CiteSpace to construct a knowledge map. (3) Conclusions: The current research hotspots of social robot interaction design mainly focus on #1 the study of human-robot relationships in social robots, #2 research on the emotional design of social robots, #3 research on social robots for children's psychotherapy, #4 research on companion robots for elderly rehabilitation, and #5 research on educational social robots. The reference co-citation analysis identifies the classic literature that forms the basis of the current research, which provides theoretical guidance and methods for the current research. Finally, we discuss several future research directions and challenges in this field.

Living Lab-Based Service Interaction Design for a Companion Robot for Seniors in South Korea.

A living lab is a valuable method for designing tangible and intangible service elements, ensuring a comprehensive user experience. Developing a digital companion service, which users may be unfamiliar with, requires observing user behavior in real-world environments and analyzing living and behavioral patterns. A living lab starts with understanding user characteristics and behaviors. Living lab methods have an impact on the accuracy and precision of service design. The number of seniors in South Korea is rapidly increasing, leading to a rise in social issues like solitary deaths and suicide. Addressing these problems has led to a growing demand for companion robots. To design effective companion services, understanding seniors' living environments and their cognitive and behavioral traits is essential. This opinion piece, based on a national R&D project, presents the development of a digital companion for seniors. It offers insights, providing a comprehensive overview of living lab-based service interaction design and proposing methodologies about living lab environment construction and experimentation and considerations when designing robot interaction functions and appearance. The living lab environment includes real living spaces, laboratories, virtual reality settings, and senior welfare centers. Using the research findings, we created service scenarios, analyzed senior language characteristics, and developed the concept and facial expressions of the digital companion. To successfully introduce a novel service, it is crucial to analyze users' real-life behavior and adjust the service accordingly.

Computer Vision Interaction Design in Sustainable Urban Development: A Case Study of Roof Garden Landscape Plants in Marine Cities.

The rapid urbanization and the increasing need for sustainable development have led to the emergence of green roof landscapes in ocean cities. These rooftop gardens provide numerous environmental benefits and contribute to the overall well-being of urban dwellers. However, optimizing the design and interaction experience of green roof landscapes requires the integration of intelligent technologies. This paper explores the application of computer visual design techniques, specifically 3DMAX modeling and virtual reality, in the intelligent interaction design of green roof landscape plants in ocean cities. Designers can use computer visual design (3DMAX) and other technologies to interact intelligently with the roof landscape in order to improve landscape design. Through case studies, this indicated that computer vision is excellent for image processing of rooftop landscapes and also demonstrates a high degree of compatibility between computer vision and green rooftop landscape plant design in marine cities. This paper highlights the significance of intelligent interaction design and computer visual design techniques in optimizing the integration of green roof landscape plants in ocean cities. It emphasizes the potential of 3DMAX modeling and VR technology in creating immersive and engaging experiences for designers, users, and stakeholders alike. The findings contribute to the growing body of knowledge in the field of sustainable urban development and provide insights for designers, policymakers, and researchers seeking to enhance green roof landscapes in ocean cities. The dissertation highlights the potential of using computer vision design techniques to enhance the roof garden landscaping process and advocates for more efficient and effective ways to design, visualize, and improve rooftop gardens by utilizing software equipped with computer vision technology such as 3DMAX, ultimately contributing to the advancement of sustainable urban landscapes.

Designing Effective Visual Feedback for Facial Rehabilitation Exercises: Investigating the Role of Shape, Transparency, and Age on User Experience.

Facial expression recognition technology has been utilized both for entertainment purposes and as a valuable aid in rehabilitation and facial exercise assistance. This technology leverages artificial intelligence models to predict facial landmark points and provide visual feedback, thereby facilitating users' facial movements. However, feedback designs that disregard user preferences may cause discomfort and diminish the benefits of exercise. This study aimed to develop a feedback design guide for facial rehabilitation exercises by investigating user responses to various feedback design methods. We created a facial recognition mobile application and designed six feedback variations based on shape and transparency. To evaluate user experience, we conducted a usability test involving 48 participants (24 subjects in their 20s and 24 over 60 years of age), assessing factors such as feedback, assistance, disturbance, aesthetics, cognitive ease, and appropriateness. The experimental results revealed significant differences in transparency, age, and the interaction between transparency and age. Consequently, it is essential to consider both transparency and user age when designing facial recognition feedback. The findings of this study could potentially inform the design of more effective and personalized visual feedback for facial motion, ultimately benefiting users in rehabilitation and exercise contexts.

Interactive description to enhance accessibility and experience of deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in museums.

Text descriptions in museums provide detailed and rich information about artifacts that broadens museum visitors' knowledge and enriches their experience. However, since deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) individuals have low literacy compared to hearing people and communicate through sign language, museum descriptions are considerably limited in delivering a stimulating and informative environment for understanding and enjoying exhibits. To improve DHH individuals' museum experience, we investigated the potential of three interactive description prototypes: active-linked, graph-based, and chatbot-based. A comparative study with 20 DHH participants confirmed that our interaction-based prototypes improve information accessibility and provide an enhanced experience compared to conventional museum descriptions. Most participants preferred the graph-based prototype, while post-interviews suggested that each prototype has potential benefits and limitations according to DHH individuals' particular literacy skills and preferences. Text descriptions can be enlivened for DHH visitors by adding a simple interaction functionality, e.g., clicking, which can lead to a better museum experience.

"They Can't Believe They're a Tiger": Insights from pediatric speech-language pathologist mobile app users and app designers.

BACKGROUND: Children with communication disorders experience difficulty in one or more areas of articulation and speech, language, fluency, voice and social communication, and they work with speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to improve their communication. With the rise of adoption and use for mobile applications among special education and healthcare service providers, SLPs also have implemented, and for some, contributed to the design of, mobile applications (apps) during clinical practice. However, how these mobile apps are designed and implemented for clinicians to facilitate their clients' communication and learning experiences during therapy remains underinvestigated. AIMS: This qualitative research study investigated how mobile apps were designed for clinicians to target assessment and intervention goals. Additionally, it focused on how clinicians adopted these apps while integrating therapy techniques to facilitate their clients' learning. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Informed by the Research, Practice, and Design for iPad Apps (iRPD) framework and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), semi-structured interviews were conducted with 37 licensed pediatric SLPs, including 23 SLPs who have used apps and 14 SLPs who have contributed to the design of their own mobile apps. Two rounds of qualitative coding via template analysis and thematic analysis were then used to analyse client and clinician characteristics, clinical practice, therapy tools, app characteristics, influential factors and app design and use recommendations. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Results showed SLPs utilise different genres of assistive, educational and recreational game apps to support children's communication development when working with children who have diverse disorders and therapy needs across different age groups. SLPs who have designed their own apps emphasised the importance of following evidence-based practice, well-researched teaching methods and learning theories. Additionally, multiple financial, sociocultural, political and ethical factors contributed to the design, adoption and implementation of mobile apps during services. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: By understanding the clinician's app use practices situated in various therapy activities and techniques, we specified a list of design recommendations for app designers who are interested in creating mobile apps for supporting children's speech and language development. By bringing insights from both clinical practitioners as well as those with additional technical design backgrounds, this study contributes to the understanding of clinical practice needs and strategies and will lead to the most optimal app design and adoption practice to support the well-being of children with communication disorders. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject Speech language pathologist (SLPs) implement mobile apps for clients with diverse therapy needs, and their app adoption and use are influenced by multifaceted factors. Although prior studies have reported SLPs' mobile app use, additional information is still needed. For example, the research literature does not include how specific technology is used during therapy practice, or specific details about challenges and needs in implementing and utilising the technology. Additional research also needs to include influential factors (e.g., financial, sociocultural, political, ethical) that are considered when selecting, implementing, assessing and designing an app. The lack of research in these areas directly affects the understanding of clinical mobile technology practices and further hinders clinicians' abilities to advocate for better clinical and design decisions towards identifying and implementing effective mobile apps that facilitate children's communication. What this study adds to existing knowledge This qualitative study is the first known empirical research that interviewed pediatric speech-language pathologists who have used and designed mobile apps for children who receive speech-language therapy across different clinical settings. By investigating experiences from clinician stakeholders to illustrate a holistic overview of app design and development to deployment, this study reported finding on (1) how clinicians use mobile apps to help children to participate in different therapy activities, and (2) a list of recommended design and development guidelines that informs the design and use of mobile apps that best support and motivate children to engage in therapy. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? This study disseminates clinician-reported practices of app design and use with pediatric clients across different speech-language disorders, and identifies gaps and needs for clinicians and researchers who are interested in understanding the role of mobile technology in relationship to human communication and interaction. Additionally, the paper demonstrates that SLPs have instrumental roles rather than passive users in influencing the design and implementation of different genres of mobile apps through evidence-based clinical practice, and call for partnerships across clinicians, special educators and technologists to support children's communication development.

Digital design method of cultural heritage using Ancient Egyptian theological totem.

This study presents a design method for cultural heritage digitization using ancient Egyptian theological totems. The use of digital technology and multimedia in cultural heritage research has become an important means of cultural heritage inheritance, innovation, and dissemination with the deepening of the digital age. Ancient Egyptian theological totems were selected because their digitization is rarely discussed, although ancient Egypt has left very rich cultural heritage resources in various fields such as architecture, painting, music, and theology. The detailed digitization process was explained in three main dimensions: visual development, animation processing, and interactive design. Methods and design experiences were then summarized for each part. The study emphasizes that digital technology, as the most advanced technical means, plays a pivotal role in the inheritance, innovation, and dissemination of cultural heritage.

Interactive Educational Toy Design Strategies for Promoting Young Children's Garbage-Sorting Behavior and Awareness.

Existing educational toys for teaching garbage classification fail to teach about its benefits and positive results. Thus, children do not fully understand the logic behind garbage classification. We summarized the design strategies of garbage classification educational toys according to parents' evaluations of existing toys and the literature on children's memory characteristics. Presenting children with all the system information related to garbage classification is essential for their logical understanding. Using interactive formats and personified images enhances children's desire to play with toys. Based on the above strategies, we designed an intelligent trash can system toy: Incorrect garbage input displays an uncomfortable expression and sad voice. Correct garbage input triggers happy expressions and positive sounds. An animated story then shows how the garbage is treated and recycled into something new. The results of a contrast experiment showed that the accuracy rate of children's garbage classification was significantly raised after playing with the designed toy for two weeks. The toy also promoted children's garbage-sorting behavior in daily life. When seeing trash misclassified, the children would correct the mistakes and take the initiative to share relevant knowledge about garbage disposal.

Examining clinician choice to follow-up (or not) on automated notifications of medication non-adherence by clinical decision support systems.

BACKGROUND: Maintaining medication adherence can be challenging for people living with mental ill-health. Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) based on automated detection of problematic patterns in Electronic Health Records (EHRs) have the potential to enable early intervention into non-adherence events ("flags") through suggesting evidence-based courses of action. However, extant literature shows multiple barriers-perceived lack of benefit in following up low-risk cases, veracity of data, human-centric design concerns, etc.-to clinician follow-up in real-world settings. This study examined patterns in clinician decision making behaviour related to follow-up of non-adherence prompts within a community mental health clinic. METHODS: The prompts for follow-up, and the recording of clinician responses, were enabled by CDSS software (AI2). De-identified clinician notes recorded after reviewing a prompt were analysed using a thematic synthesis approach-starting with descriptions of clinician comments, then sorting into analytical themes related to design and, in parallel, a priori categories describing follow-up behaviours. Hypotheses derived from the literature about the follow-up categories' relationships with client and medication-subtype characteristics were tested. RESULTS: The majority of clients were Not Followed-up (n = 260; 78%; Followed-up: n = 71; 22%). The analytical themes emerging from the decision notes suggested contextual factors-the clients' environment, their clinical relationships, and medical needs-mediated how clinicians interacted with the CDSS flags. Significant differences were found between medication subtypes and follow-up, with Anti-depressants less likely to be followed up than Anti-Psychotics and Anxiolytics (χ2 = 35.196, 44.825; p < 0.001; v = 0.389, 0.499); and between the time taken to action Followed-up0 and Not-followed up1 flags (M0 = 31.78; M1 = 45.55; U = 12,119; p < 0.001; η2 = .05). CONCLUSION: These analyses encourage actively incorporating the input of consumers and carers, non-EHR data streams, and better incorporation of data from parallel health systems and other clinicians into CDSS designs to encourage follow-up.

Wheelchair driving strategies: A comparison between standard joystick and gaze-based control.

This paper aims to evaluate and compare the driving performances achieved with a power wheelchair using a standard joystick versus a novel gaze-based technology. The gaze-based interface, called RoboEYE, involves a novel paradigm of computer interaction that handles the receipt of information from an eye tracker, using it as a continuous input for wheelchair navigation. A pool of 36 subjects has tested both technologies in a circuit designed considering the Wheelchair Skill Test. The experimental analysis involved evaluations of specific metrics of motion and the submission of questionnaires to collect required information about perceived feelings and mental workload. The joystick proved to be the best driving interface. It turned out to be more accurate and efficient than the gaze-based solution. However, the latter achieved only small differences in driving kinematics. These differences can be considered negligible from an operational point of view, offering a driving experience similar to that achievable with the joystick. Testers reported no particular stress, fatigue, or frustration when switching from one interface to another. These elements suggest that the proposed gaze-based solution is an appropriate alternative for a technology transition driven by a pathological change in the user's condition.

Evaluating levels of automation with different feedback modes in an assistive robotic table clearing task for eldercare.

This paper focuses on how the autonomy level of an assistive robot that offers support for older adults in a daily task and its feedback affect the interaction. Identifying the level of automation (LOA) that prioritizes older adults' preferences while avoiding passiveness and sedentariness is challenging. The feedback mode should match the cognitive and perceptual capabilities of older adults and the LOA. We characterized three LOAs and paired them with two modes of feedback in a human-robot collaborative task. Twenty-seven older adults participated in evaluating the LOA-feedback variations in a mixed experimental design, utilizing an experimental setup of an assistive robot in a table clearing task. The quality of the interaction was evaluated with objective and subjective measures. The combination of high LOA with voice feedback improved the overall interaction when compared to other LOA and feedback combinations. This study emphasizes the importance of appropriate coupling of LOA and feedback for successful interaction of the older adults with an assistive robot.

A design space for automated material handling vehicles.

Material Handling Vehicles (loaders, excavators, forklifts, harvesters, etc.) have seen a strong increase in automation efforts in recent years. The contexts such vehicles operate in are frequently complex and due to the often very specific nature of industrial material handling scenarios, know-how is fragmented and literature is not as numerous as, for example, for passenger vehicle automation. In this paper, we present a contextual design space for automated material handling vehicles (AMHV), that is intended to inform context analysis and design activities across a wide spectrum of material handling use cases. It was developed on the basis of existing context and design spaces for vehicle and machine automation and extended via expert knowledge. The design space consists of separate context and interaction subspaces, that separately capture the situation and each individual point of interaction, respectively. Implications, opportunities, and limitations for the investigation and design of AMHV are discussed.

Gaining resolution when creating imagery of aging.

In seeking to support healthy aging, designers have struggled to reduce their assumptions and biases toward older adults, been seen to interpret the worlds of later life through unfiltered imagery, as well as engage with stigmas, ultimately diminishing the technologies they construct. This article seeks to critically analyse this state-of-the-art from a design research perspective while engaging with the growing interdisciplinary study of aging and technologies. Toward this, we proposition "resolution" as a concept indicative of the level of detail that seeks to characterize the fidelity that representations of later life have. This concept is explored through a cultural probe study that investigated the sentiments of several older Australians regarding the inequities and social isolation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Providing a diary alongside photovoice and mapping tasks, the study captured perceptions of social technology, practices, networks, and wellbeing, offering a diverse and complex picture of aging and technology. Through reflexive thematic analyses of some of these materials, this case study offers designers pathways to understanding and including older adults in their work. In determining the resolution of these images of aging, we discuss how transparency about the limitations and qualities of such participatory methods through incorporating reflexivity can influence the degree of detail such imagery gains. Ultimately this concept builds on the notion of participation configuration, supporting designers to realize better images of aging and representations of later life.