a. Prototype

The prototype used for the evaluation of our design was a PowerPoint. Each slide of the PowerPoint guides the participant through the action sequence we designed. The slides went through the different interaction steps, and they all showed a video of Pepper's movements and its audio output for that specific step, along with a graphic that showcased what would be displayed on Pepper's screen. The prototype PowerPoint can be found in our Final Video Submissions delivery on Brightspace.

PowerPoint showing Pepper's behaviour, voice, and tablet screen throughout the action sequence.

The simplicity of the prototype was due to the given time-constraints of the course, as we decided to focus our time more on the theory behind the design rather than spending time trying to implement a semi-working robot prototype, as this was a lot of new technology none of us had worked with before. This design, while simple, still effectively showed the main behaviours of our robot and could be used as a baseline comparison of an interaction with a social robot in contrast to a nurse.

Despite its simplicity, this prototype can still evaluate the use cases. The main objectives of our use cases was to (1) promote independence and (2) promote engagement when it comes to activities in the care center. The prototype is able to simulate the action sequence for both of these sequences as the powerpoint contains videos of Pepper communicating verbally about the activities while also asking questions and prompting actions from the users. Furthermore, the visualisation of the schedule is clearly shown in the powerpoint to allow test users to see the same visual support as PwDs would see on Pepper's chest monitor. By recording several combinations of verbal interactions and arranging these in a clear sequence the group was able to simulate what a real interaction with Pepper would look like based on user input and what slides of the powerpoint that was shown to the test users.