User-Centered Approaches for Designing Robots: Methods and Measures for Engaging End Users

Robots are increasingly integrated into everyday life as companions and assistants, raising an important question in human-robot interaction research: Are these robots truly designed to meet our needs? Understanding users’ needs regarding their health, work, interactions, wellness, and quality of life is vital to designing robots that support them reliably. This design thinking approach puts the users first, with adequate consideration for their perceptions, interests, preferences, concerns, and needs. The critical question is not whether robots can provide support but how best to design them to make them more usable and useful for a range of end-users, including persons with disabilities, professional healthcare providers, older adults, young adults, children, and family care partners. The goal of this panel would be to discuss approaches, design techniques, and lessons learned while implementing user-centered design approaches that prioritize the users in the design of assistive robots. The panelists are experts who have a wealth of experience in human-factors design and healthcare, health technology innovation, human-robot interaction, usability evaluation, and human-machine teaming. Their discussion will enhance our understanding of user-centered approaches to design and focus on design to meet the users’ needs, preferences, capabilities, and limitations.