Grandfathers, cogs and bots:Learner choices for designs of companion agents

EDMEDIA, 25th June, 2013

The Shift

• Aimed at NEETs – not in education employment or training

• Ravensbourne based in Greenwich, London, Creative and Media Industries

• Courses will pull OER content together• Website constructed from widgets, profile

info, badges, social networks, drag and dropped between public and private spaces

The bot

• Bot is an autonomous interactive program, interactive and social - aka companion agent. Can be text only, can be situated in a 3D virtual world (when it is an embodied companion agent).

• Distinct from an avatar in that avatar refers only to a digital representation of a human although Nowak, K.L. and Biocca, F. (2003) found that people don’t distinguish.

• Previous research indicates learning effectiveness relates to affinity to avatar

The research

• User-centred design ethos• Four workshops– Learners design a series of bot images– Learners vote on these and discuss the pros and

cons– Learners trial the bot and give initial responses– Learners use website and bot and we assess

learning.

What do you think?

1. Really very bad2. Dislike it 3. Meh4. It’s OK5. It’s excellent

Second Thing

So, what should it be able to do?• Must have• Should have• Could have• Would be nice if …

How realistic should it be?

1. Like an outline cartoon?

2. Like a detailed cartoon

3. Like an outline photo

4. Like a realistic photo

Anthropomorphism and realism

Low detail High detail

Low anthropomorphic

1 10

High anthropomorphic

2 3

Methodology

• Attributed a score for each response on Lykert scale, then ranked the designs

• Removed those where responses indicated additional elements associated with factors outside of appearance were having effect

• Grouped them according to degree of realism and anthropomorphism.

Anthropomorphic realistic appearance

• Photorealistic facial features.

• High appearance realism.

• High behaviour realism.• High presence.• Very low rated.• UNCANNY.• Scored 6

Anthropomorphic non-realistic

• Facial features.• Nuanced personality.• Medium appearance

realism.• High behaviour.• High presence.• Medium rated.• DISTRACTION.• Score 8 - 14

Non-anthropomorphic realistic

• Facial features.• Nuanced personality• Low appearance realism.• High behaviour realism.• Medium presence.• Very highly rated.• ENGAGING (BUT NOT

TOO MUCH)• Score 16 – 21 points

Non-anthropomorphic non-realistic

• Facial features.• No or simple personality.• Low appearance realism.• Low behaviour realism.• Low presence.• Low rated.• UNENGAGING• Score 6 -7 points

Functionality

• Ranking of functionality– Highest: Student tracking and info, personality– Upper mid-range: interactivity– Lower mid-range: growth and change– Lowest: Customisability– Negative: Ability to speak

• In third workshop– Students reiterated usefulness over personality– Wanted control over turning personality on and off

Conclusions

• Students did not want to sacrifice any usability for “fun” factors

• Students wanted behavioural and design realism as long as it was not anthropomorphic (the Uncanny Valley lives).

• There is an optimum level (from the learners’ perspective) of social presence in bots, too much and they are not engaging, too little and they are distracting.

Further work

• Need to test learners’ perspectives against actual learning effectiveness

• Ideally would work with a design team and larger learner base to create range of designs, altering the separate variables, to identify which factors are influencing affinity, presence and preference.

Further reading

• Nowak, K.L. and Biocca, F. (2003) The Effect of the Agency and Anthropomorphism on Users’ Sense of Telepresence, Copresence, and Social Presence in Virtual Environments, Presence, Vol. 12, No. 5, October 2003, 481–494

Authors

Mark Childs mark@markchilds.orgAcademic lead: presence

Anna Peachey anna@annapeachey.co.ukAcademic lead: learning pathways

Lizzie Jackson lizzie.jackson@rave.ac.uk Principle Investigator

Phil Hall phil.hall@elzware.com Programmer, lead designer