Addressing user expectations

When users engage with robots, they often have certain assumptions and expectations, which can be influenced by their exposure to robots in media or fiction. Additionally, the design and presentation of robots can also shape users’ expectations. For instance, if a robot speaks in English, users may assume it can understand spoken English. As robots become more human-like in appearance, users may expect them to possess more human-like abilities. If a robot fails to meet users’ expectations, it may be viewed as incompetent, resulting in reluctance to use it. Design can also influence user expectations; for instance, social robots may be designed to look like infants to reduce expectations and increase tolerance for mistakes.

Read more about how user expectations can be managed by accurately describing the robot’s capabilities and setting expectations lower instead of higher:

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/5453268

References

Bartneck, C. et al. (2020) Human-Robot Interaction: An Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108676649.