Judging a socially assistive robot (SAR) by its cover; The effect of body structure, outline, and color on users' perception
This work addresses the problem of designing SARs that meet user expectations by providing empirical insights into visual qualities, though it is incremental as it builds on prior studies of SAR appearance.
The study systematically assessed how isolated visual qualities (body structure, outline, and color) affect users' perceptions of socially assistive robots (SARs), finding that these qualities influence perceptions of SAR characteristics, which can inform design guidelines to align with user expectations.
Socially assistive robots (SARs) aim to provide assistance through social interaction. Previous studies contributed to understanding users` perceptions and preferences regarding existing commercially available SARs. Yet, very few studies regarding SARs' appearance used designated SAR designs, and even fewer evaluated isolated visual qualities (VQ). In this work, we aim to assess the effect of isolated VQs systematically. To achieve this, we first conducted market research and deconstructed the VQs attributed to SARs. Then, a reconstruction of body structure, outline, and color scheme was done, resulting in the creation of 30 new SAR models that differ in their VQs, allowing us to isolate one character at a time. We used these new designs to evaluate users' preferences and perceptions in two empirical studies. Our empirical findings link VQs with perceptions of SAR characteristics. These can lead to forming guidelines for the industrial design processes of new SARs to match user expectations.