Evaluating the User Experience and Usability of the MINI Robot for Elderly Adults with Mild Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment: Insights and Recommendations
<b>Introduction</b>: In recent years, the integration of robotic systems into various aspects of daily life has become increasingly common. As these technologies continue to advance, ensuring user-friendly interfaces and seamless interactions becomes more essential. For social robots to...
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MDPI AG
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Sensors |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/24/22/7180 |
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| author | Aysan Mahmoudi Asl Jose Miguel Toribio-Guzmán Álvaro Castro-González María Malfaz Miguel A. Salichs Manuel Franco Martín |
| author_facet | Aysan Mahmoudi Asl Jose Miguel Toribio-Guzmán Álvaro Castro-González María Malfaz Miguel A. Salichs Manuel Franco Martín |
| author_sort | Aysan Mahmoudi Asl |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <b>Introduction</b>: In recent years, the integration of robotic systems into various aspects of daily life has become increasingly common. As these technologies continue to advance, ensuring user-friendly interfaces and seamless interactions becomes more essential. For social robots to genuinely provide lasting value to humans, a favourable user experience (UX) emerges as an essential prerequisite. This article aimed to evaluate the usability of the MINI robot, highlighting its strengths and areas for improvement based on user feedback and performance. <b>Materials and Methods</b>: In a controlled lab setting, a mixed-method qualitative study was conducted with ten individuals aged 65 and above diagnosed with mild dementia (MD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Participants engaged in individual MINI robot interaction sessions, completing cognitive tasks as per written instructions. Video and audio recordings documented interactions, while post-session System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaires quantified usability perception. Ethical guidelines were followed, ensuring informed consent, and the data underwent qualitative and quantitative analyses, contributing insights into the MINI robot’s usability for this demographic. <b>Results</b>: The study addresses the ongoing challenges that tasks present, especially for MD individuals, emphasizing the importance of user support. Most tasks require both verbal and physical interactions, indicating that MD individuals face challenges when switching response methods within subtasks. These complexities originate from the selection and use of response methods, including difficulties with voice recognition, tablet touch, and tactile sensors. These challenges persist across tasks, with individuals with MD struggling to comprehend task instructions and provide correct answers and individuals with MCI struggling to use response devices, often due to the limitations of the robot’s speech recognition. Technical shortcomings have been identified. The results of the SUS indicate positive perceptions, although there are lower ratings for instructor assistance and pre-use learning. The average SUS score of 68.3 places device usability in the “good” category. <b>Conclusions</b>: Our study examines the usability of the MINI robot, revealing strengths in quick learning, simple system and operation, and integration of features, while also highlighting areas for improvement. Careful design and modifications are essential for meaningful engagement with people with dementia. The robot could better benefit people with MD and MCI if clear, detailed instructions and instructor assistance were available. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6fd37fdb60a64cb3a807bfa039295569 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sensors |
| spelling | doaj-art-6fd37fdb60a64cb3a807bfa0392955692024-11-26T18:21:00ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202024-11-012422718010.3390/s24227180Evaluating the User Experience and Usability of the MINI Robot for Elderly Adults with Mild Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment: Insights and RecommendationsAysan Mahmoudi Asl0Jose Miguel Toribio-Guzmán1Álvaro Castro-González2María Malfaz3Miguel A. Salichs4Manuel Franco Martín5Psycho-Sciences Research Group of IBSAL, University of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, SpainPsycho-Sciences Research Group of IBSAL, University of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, SpainRobotics Lab, Department of System Engineering and Automation, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 28911 Madrid, SpainRobotics Lab, Department of System Engineering and Automation, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 28911 Madrid, SpainRobotics Lab, Department of System Engineering and Automation, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 28911 Madrid, SpainPsycho-Sciences Research Group of IBSAL, University of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain<b>Introduction</b>: In recent years, the integration of robotic systems into various aspects of daily life has become increasingly common. As these technologies continue to advance, ensuring user-friendly interfaces and seamless interactions becomes more essential. For social robots to genuinely provide lasting value to humans, a favourable user experience (UX) emerges as an essential prerequisite. This article aimed to evaluate the usability of the MINI robot, highlighting its strengths and areas for improvement based on user feedback and performance. <b>Materials and Methods</b>: In a controlled lab setting, a mixed-method qualitative study was conducted with ten individuals aged 65 and above diagnosed with mild dementia (MD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Participants engaged in individual MINI robot interaction sessions, completing cognitive tasks as per written instructions. Video and audio recordings documented interactions, while post-session System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaires quantified usability perception. Ethical guidelines were followed, ensuring informed consent, and the data underwent qualitative and quantitative analyses, contributing insights into the MINI robot’s usability for this demographic. <b>Results</b>: The study addresses the ongoing challenges that tasks present, especially for MD individuals, emphasizing the importance of user support. Most tasks require both verbal and physical interactions, indicating that MD individuals face challenges when switching response methods within subtasks. These complexities originate from the selection and use of response methods, including difficulties with voice recognition, tablet touch, and tactile sensors. These challenges persist across tasks, with individuals with MD struggling to comprehend task instructions and provide correct answers and individuals with MCI struggling to use response devices, often due to the limitations of the robot’s speech recognition. Technical shortcomings have been identified. The results of the SUS indicate positive perceptions, although there are lower ratings for instructor assistance and pre-use learning. The average SUS score of 68.3 places device usability in the “good” category. <b>Conclusions</b>: Our study examines the usability of the MINI robot, revealing strengths in quick learning, simple system and operation, and integration of features, while also highlighting areas for improvement. Careful design and modifications are essential for meaningful engagement with people with dementia. The robot could better benefit people with MD and MCI if clear, detailed instructions and instructor assistance were available.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/24/22/7180usabilityuser experiencesocial robotsdementiamild cognitive impairments |
| spellingShingle | Aysan Mahmoudi Asl Jose Miguel Toribio-Guzmán Álvaro Castro-González María Malfaz Miguel A. Salichs Manuel Franco Martín Evaluating the User Experience and Usability of the MINI Robot for Elderly Adults with Mild Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment: Insights and Recommendations Sensors usability user experience social robots dementia mild cognitive impairments |
| title | Evaluating the User Experience and Usability of the MINI Robot for Elderly Adults with Mild Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment: Insights and Recommendations |
| title_full | Evaluating the User Experience and Usability of the MINI Robot for Elderly Adults with Mild Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment: Insights and Recommendations |
| title_fullStr | Evaluating the User Experience and Usability of the MINI Robot for Elderly Adults with Mild Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment: Insights and Recommendations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluating the User Experience and Usability of the MINI Robot for Elderly Adults with Mild Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment: Insights and Recommendations |
| title_short | Evaluating the User Experience and Usability of the MINI Robot for Elderly Adults with Mild Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment: Insights and Recommendations |
| title_sort | evaluating the user experience and usability of the mini robot for elderly adults with mild dementia and mild cognitive impairment insights and recommendations |
| topic | usability user experience social robots dementia mild cognitive impairments |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/24/22/7180 |
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