Human-centred design methods: developing scenarios for robot assisted play informed by user panels and field trials

B. Robins, E. Ferrari, K. Dautenhahn, G. Kronreif, B. Prazak-Aram, G. Gelderblom, B. Tanja, F. Caprino, E. Laudanna, P. Marti

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

51 Citations (Scopus)
375 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

This article describes the user-centred development of play scenarios for robot assisted play, as part of the multidisciplinary IROMEC1 project that develops a novel robotic toy for children with special needs. The project investigates how robotic toys can become social mediators, encouraging children with special needs to discover a range of play styles, from solitary to collaborative play (with peers, carers/teachers, parents, etc.). This article explains the developmental process of constructing relevant play scenarios for children with different special needs. Results are presented from consultation with panel of experts (therapists, teachers, parents) who advised on the play needs for the various target user groups and who helped investigate how robotic toys could be used as a play tool to assist in the children’s development. Examples from experimental investigations are provided which have informed the development of scenarios throughout the design process. We conclude by pointing out the potential benefit of this work to a variety of research projects and applications involving human–robot interactions.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)873-898
JournalInternational Journal of Human-Computer Studies
Volume68
Issue number12
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2010

Keywords

  • robot assisted play
  • human-centred design
  • assistive technology
  • human–robot interaction

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Human-centred design methods: developing scenarios for robot assisted play informed by user panels and field trials'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this