Interview Robot Assistant
Working toward robot assisted sexual assault disclosure: exploring the ethical implications and technological solutions in empowering survivors to safely share their experiences and access support.
Work with
Overview
MY ROLE
UX Research
Interaction Design
UI/UX Design
Video Prototyping
TEAM
Crys Sahae
Shay Gu
Nichelle Song
Lige Yang
Duration
September - December 2023
Project Type
UX Research Project
Outcome
This paper is accepted by Interaction Design & Architecture(s) Journal, will be released shortly.
Problem
Sexual assault survivors often face daunting challenges in reporting their experiences, including fear of retraumatization and judgment from authorities, leading to discouragement from seeking support. These obstacles are compounded for juvenile victims, who constitute a significant portion of assault cases, highlighting the critical importance of implementing empathetic and effective measures to address their needs.
Goal
Our overarching goal to design a robot that acts as a digital shield for survivors of Sexual Assault when disclosing to the police.
Video Introduction
Research
01 Understand Background and Current Research
Based on our research direction, we would like to conduct a literature study on existing police assistive robots to understand the current stage of application of robotic assistants in disclosure use and crime use.
1.1 Literature Review
Our literature study was conducted in terms of five main themes:
1) current use as well as case
2) Existing problems in victim disclosure
3) Emotional support
4) Social/Discrimination/Judgement
5) Population
Summary Findings
The average SA victim age is under 18 (67% of reporters)
Police officers are often trained to control the conversation and establish rapport with victims, but secondary victimization is still common for victims during this process.
Victims don't report because of negative experiences they had with police in the past. There's no trust in reporting because they believe nothing will change.
Social robots can support clinical assessments of trauma survivors during the hospitalization phase.
1.2 Define Our Main User Group
Based on previous research, initially we decided design IRA and Pup to be used with sexual assault (SA) survivors that between 12-34 years old, which represent 69% of survivors that report to police.
How might we design a social robot that supports survivors of sexual assault, ensures privacy, fosters a non-judgmental environment, and reduces stress during police disclosure?
Ideation & Design
{ Design Principles }
Supporive of survivors
Privacy protected
Non judgemental
Be inclusive to survivors
01 Storyboard
02 Concept Testing
We conducted low-fi user testing with UW students using scenarios of IRA providing survivors with a digital shield and acting as a intermediary between survivors and the police during an interview. We also used paper prototyping of the screens for IRA to communicate with to gather feedback on screen designs and content.
▼ Insights
Users prefer a robot face (non-human) over a human face. They also preferred neutral expressions.
No one wanted male voice (4 / 4) gender neutral/female, 1 said want to have option to choose
Users want the robot to be at their eye level, not too big, not too small.
“I don’t want to be looking up to feel intimidated.” (P4)
Additional explanation of the interview process and the users’ rights may be needed as first steps.
03 Finite State Machine
04 Interaction Design
I did the design interface of the robot IRA, the main focus is on the use of flow, emphasising changes in facial expression and empathy.
4.1 Changes in face expression
Based on feedback from users of our first conceptual test setup, we improved the face of the IRA to avoid humanoidisation, and censored the gender-obvious voice when responding.
4.2 Prototype
We ran two iterations on the most basic framework based on the first concept test. To see the exact prototyping process click on the link below
4.3 Color System
4.4 User Testing
For our next prototype we combined our iterated screens with the Flexi robot, and we designed faces with different facial expressions. We also added the Pup companion robot who is designed to provide the user with emotional support and physiological data for IRA.
Final Design
Language Choose
Considering the diversity of users, we wanted users to be able to choose the language that made them feel more secure and comfortable when receiving disclosures, so we gave language choices.
Break Time
As we said initially, the disclosure includes the possibility of secondary traumatisation due to memories, and we do not want to pressure and victimise the victim. Breathing exercises and breaks can help the victim to calm down, and the design will be more childlike and cosy given the age range.
Reflection
Impact
This research was written up and submitted as a paper to the journal IxD&A.
Study reported in HCDE's News & Events.
Takeaways
Designing Responsibly: This project brought to light the ethical responsibilities involved in UX design, especially when dealing with vulnerable populations. Ensuring the safety, privacy, and dignity of SA survivors was paramount throughout the project. This reinforced the need to constantly evaluate the ethical implications of design decisions.
Cultural and Emotional Sensitivity: The diverse backgrounds and experiences of SA survivors underscored the importance of cultural and emotional sensitivity in design. Tailoring the robots’ interactions to accommodate a wide range of needs and contexts was a critical learning point.
This experience expanded my skillset in areas such as user research, prototyping, and ethical design. It also honed my ability to synthesize user feedback into actionable design improvements, which will be invaluable in future projects.
