Title: Piloting a telepresence robot in a remote user study

Authors: Susanna Aromaa; Päivi Heikkilä; Antti Tammela; Hanna Lammi

Addresses: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., P.O. Box 1300, 33101 Tampere, Finland ' VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., P.O. Box 1300, 33101 Tampere, Finland ' VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., P.O. Box 1300, 33101 Tampere, Finland ' VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., P.O. Box 1300, 33101 Tampere, Finland

Abstract: In recent years, researchers have been urged to adopt new remote ways to study users' behaviour and experience when interacting with novel technologies. This research investigates how a telepresence robot, i.e., mobile remote presence (MRP) system, could be used in a remote moderated user study. A qualitative approach was utilised to find out the experience of a user researcher when using an MRP system to observe, interview and collect questionnaire answers. It was found that using the MRP system in a user study can provide a feeling of presence and natural interaction. However, remote studies may require more effort during preparations and create cognitive load due to multitasking. These findings can be used by the human factors research community when adopting new remote user study practices. In addition, the results can be deployed when utilising a telepresence robot in different domains.

Keywords: human factors; telepresence robot; remote study; user experience; mobile remote presence robot.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHFE.2024.143267

International Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics, 2024 Vol.11 No.3, pp.289 - 308

Received: 22 Jan 2024
Accepted: 01 Oct 2024
Published online: 11 Dec 2024 *

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