Project homeIDP: Motivate the PwD
Design problem: The PwD would like to paint but is not as active and confident about their painting capabilities as they used to be because of the dementia condition. The Pepper robot in this case provides meaningful motivation and encouragement while they are doing the activity.
Design solution: Pepper does this by saying words of encouragement and motivating the PwD to preserver and not give up on the task. Of course, if the PwD wants to take a break, is done for the day or is satisfied with the painting they have done then Pepper won't keep on egging them to continue but would understand this stage and congratulate the PwD for an awesome painting which they can be proud of and show their family members.
Use when: During the painting activity
Design rationale: This design pattern follows the strategies mentioned in [1] to provide motivation and encouragement to the PwD.
Example: For our use case, Pepper provides such encouragement and motivation at appropriate intervals making sure that the frequency isn't too much or less. Since Pepper does this verbally the speech rate is slightly lower than average considering the age and cognitive abilities of the participants. For detail on the parameter setting, see the relevant. For detail on the parameter setting, see Table below.
| Parameter | Choice | Rationale | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gesture Openness | Open | Makes the interaction less formal so that the PwD can familiarize themself better with Pepper. | |
| Proxemic Closeness | Average (close) | Kept close to the PwD. | |
| Voice | Pitch | Middle | A high pitch makes Pepper sound friendly but it should not be too high otherwise the PwD might not be able to hear Pepper well. |
| Speed | Slower than average | Since the PwD are old, a low speech rate will help them understand Pepper better but it should not be too slow otherwise, they will be bored. | |
| Prosody | Strong | The prosody of the voice should be strong so that Pepper can articulate better. | |
| Speech Acts | Informal | An informal tone makes the interaction more comfortable for the participants. | |
| Eye Color | White | The eyes should be white so as to not distract the PwD. | |
References:
1. Hollyforde, Sarah, and Steve Whiddett. The motivation handbook. CIPD Publishing, 2002.