Older Adults’ Emotional Challenges and Co-design Preferences for a Social Robot after the COVID-19 Pandemic

Mental health challenges became more prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among older adults. Consequently, we witnessed an uptake of new technologies, including social robots to address these challenges. However, we observed limited inclusion of older adults in the design process to design these technologies to cater user needs during the pandemic. To address this gap, we conducted a co-design workshop with 17 older adults and explored their emotional challenges after the COVID-19 pandemic. They evaluated the current social robot designs available in the literature and elicited the design preferences for a social robot to address their current emotional challenges. Our results based on thematic analysis show that the impact of the pandemic on older adults’ emotional challenges is persisting, and the companionship of a social robot is preferred to enhance their mental well-being. We also show that older adults preferred an animal-like robot design embodied with soft skin possessing a medium size. These findings highlighted older adults’ design choices of a social robot and affirmed their potential to support older adults’ mental well-being.

I. Introduction

The average age of the world’s population is rising, and over the next ten years, the number of older adults is predicted to rise by more than 60%, reaching 1 billion by 2030 [1]. Older adults may lose their social positions, friends, family, and health as they age [2], causing emotional challenges such as depression, loneliness, and self-isolation leading to mental well-being issues [3], [4]. The COVID-19 pandemic has nearly tripled [5] mental well-being issues due to greater stress exposure and social engagement restrictions that increased anxiety and fear levels, posing unique challenges for older adults after the pandemic compared to other age groups [6], [7]. Social robots have been suggested as a healthy ageing technology that promotes mental well-being [8]. Designing social robots need a comprehensive understanding of human behaviour, intellect, and diverse technological abilities [9]. As researchers and organisations build robots for older adults, it is recommended that they be aware of preconceived notions to understand how the technologies affect mental well-being [10]. Consequently, social robots for older adults could be designed using a User-Centred Design (UCD) approach that encourages non-designers to participate in co-design activities [11], which amplifies users’ voices frequently ignored in technology design and empower them in the design process [12]. By engaging older adults in robot co-design, technology can be adapted to their demands and abilities, promoting mental well-being and ensuring more effective designs [13], [14]. Prior research in co-design methods included older adults in different technological designs, such as mobile applications [15], websites [16], smart home applications [17] and assistive robots [18].