Automated machinery has become an integral part of modern dairy farm operations, using notification sounds to alert farmers to emergencies or inform them of ongoing actions. While these sounds are intended to enhance safety and improve user experience, they are often perceived as confusing and unpleasant by farmers, leading some to disable the audio system entirely, thereby compromising safety. This project seeks to develop a sound design framework and a set of notification sounds that prioritise the safety and well-being of both humans and their cattle.

Focusing on the robots developed by Lely, an innovative company in the agricultural sector, this project explores the role of sound in enhancing user feedback for dairy farm robots. Through literature research, the perception of sound from both human and cow perspectives was examined, alongside relevant sonic interaction methods. Interviews with Lely’s product development and safety teams helped map out current notification sounds and identify safety guidelines for sound use. Technical sound design guidelines were then developed.

Interviews with dairy farmers and visits to farms revealed six key issues: the unclear meaning of the notification sounds, the inability to identify the robots by their sound, the perceived unpleasantness, the disturbance to neighbours, the inaudibility, and the lack of guidelines for the use and creation of notification sounds. To address these issues, sonification techniques were utilised to develop new sounds, which were iteratively tested and refined based on user feedback.

The final design includes a concise set of notification sounds, along with a sound design framework that includes guidelines for the development of new notification sounds for future Lely robots. The sounds are designed to be intuitive, pleasant, and clearly audible over barn noise while avoiding disruption to neighbours. Each robot has been given a distinct voice to allow the user to differentiate the robots based on their sound. Solutions were also proposed to minimise sound levels and the occurrence of sound inside the barn. This project addresses a significant but overlooked issue in dairy farm operations, offering a design that meets safety, usability, and environmental criteria. However, further research is needed to assess the long-term impact of these notification sounds.
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This thesis explores how digital twin technology might introduce a trade-off between datafication and lived, intuitive experience in psychiatric healthcare for people with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A digital twin refers to a virtual simulation of a person’s behaviour and emotional states that is constructed through continuous data collection. Such systems promise more personalised and autonomous forms of care, yet they also raise ethical, relational, and interactional challenges. For people with PTSD, the ability to trust their own bodily signals is often disrupted. A digital twin could create a sense of enhanced self-understanding, yet at the same time risk undermining one’s relationship with lived experience.

Using speculative design research, this project examined how people with PTSD interpret and emotionally respond to potential technological futures. Through a combination of contextual immersion, expert interviews, and iterative prototyping, a final speculative design was developed that materialised the tension between analytical feedback and subjective reflection. This tension was expressed through an interactive experience that alternated between different modes of feedback, ranging from quantitative data to narrative and interpretive forms. The prototype was then tested with people with PTSD to ensure that their lived experiences were meaningfully translated. Their engagement revealed personal values related to how different forms of feedback shaped their sense of understanding and agency.

The findings show that the trade-off between datafication and lived experience is not an opposition of forces, but a productive tension that can be intentionally designed. When analytical insights are intertwined with guided personal reflection, digital twins can complement psychiatric care by creating conditions that support self-understanding, emotional safety, and interpretive agency. The study further revealed that the framing of feedback from the digital twin to the user strongly shapes whether the technology feels supportive or intrusive, and how trust in data is formed.

Finally, the study offers a set of recommendations for designers of future digital twin technologies, emphasising the need to balance predictive accuracy with reflective engagement that is sensitive to the richness of lived experience. In doing so, it positions speculative design as a method for anticipating the experiential and relational futures of psychiatric technologies before they are built.
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This thesis, “Algae as a Transformative Agent in Food Ecosystems,” authored by Kashish Ramrakhiani under the supervision of Dr. Nazli Cila and Dr. Laurens Kolks, explores the potential of algae in redefining the food ecosystem. The study situates itself within the framework of Human-Food Interaction (HFI) and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), addressing sustainability challenges in the global food system.

The global food system faces significant sustainability challenges, including resource depletion and environmental degradation. Rising demand for animal products has increased meat and milk production, contributing to environmental issues such as greenhouse gas emissions. Veganism, while reducing these impacts, can lead to nutritional deficiencies. Algae, rich in essential nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, protein, vitamins, and minerals, emerges as a viable solution to address both environmental and dietary needs.

Following Actor Network Theory (ANT), the research views Algae as a ‘transformative agent’ within the food ecosystem. By adopting a more-than-human lens, the study challenges traditional hierarchies and advocates for a more thoughtful approach to algae care, supported by speculative design methodologies. The research employs a combination of methodologies, including literature reviews, interviews, ethnographic observations, and speculative scenario planning.

These methods uncover key insights into the complex entanglements within the food industry that would be influenced by the integration of algae as a transformative agent, as well as the ripple effects this could create throughout the food ecosystem. The findings also emphasize the critical need for a shift in how we treat algae, highlighting the risk of repeating the exploitative patterns seen in other established food industries. The thesis imagines a speculative scenario where algae bioreactors are common in food production, backed by innovative policies and education programs that highlight algae’s role in sustainable food systems.

The study’s design vision culminates in the ‘Algacare Conference,’ an immersive event designed to educate and engage food industry stakeholders about the potential future role of algae. This speculative event is presented through a website and video, connecting today’s realities with future possibilities in a way that is both accessible and forward-thinking.

This thesis suggests that algae could be a transformative force in food ecosystems. It advocates for recognizing algae not just as a food source but as a key player in creating a sustainable and ethical food system. ... Read more

More and more smart doorbells (SDBs) are making their way to the front doors in the Netherlands. Equipped with camera and microphone, owners experience the benefit of convenience and feeling safe. However, due to its big field of view, those living around the smart doorbell can be captured too. This might lead to many issues, including social tensions in the neighbourhood. Little research has been conducted about lived experiences around smart doorbells.

This project aimed to explore social dynamics around smart doorbells in the neighbourhood. Inspired by a research-through-design approach, an interview study and scenario-based roleplaying provided insights about current critical awareness, tensions experienced, how these are dealt with and barriers and drivers to dialogue. There is little knowledge and critical awareness about SDBs, both from owners and neighbours. When they are aware of the doorbells, neighbours experience discomfort due to now knowing about, having no access to and no control over smart doorbell footage. There are many factors that lead them to avoid the SDB and related issues. However, people don’t just ‘talk to their neighbours’, as they experience many barriers to dialogue. A set of speculative doorbells was designed with the aim to encourage dialogue.

Four concepts were iteratively prototyped and tested, from which two were combined into the final speculation: ‘the___doorbell’. The adjective ‘smart’ has been removed, inviting people to question what ‘smartness’ means in relation to the doorbell. This speculative doorbell consists of one body and three different lenses, each their own character and expressiveness.
Imagined in an alternative present, the___doorbell and it’s owners are shown in a concept video. Through watching this video, the social, honest and curious doorbell aim to encourage a rich critical reflection, covering multiple of the identified social tensions in the neighbourhood. The video is presented with an ‘instruction manual’, carefully guiding the reflection and dialogue when used in a group setting.

The concept was evaluated in groups and by individuals. With its light-hearted presentation, the__doorbell invited to talk about smart doorbells related to social dynamics in a nuanced yet critical way.

This project presented dialogue as a short-term intervention on a neighbourhood level, but might also stimulate dialogue with the other actors involved, including policy-makers.
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For some, smart home living is a sign of the future, and provides an opportunity to solve major societal problems. For others, it is just a vague buzzword. This thesis project sought to explore the potential implications of living with smart and connected technologies in our most private spaces and to engage non-experts in a conversation about it.

This speculative project first used traditional design research activities to understand the context of the smart home, informing the design process of two design fiction artifacts. Following, these design fictions were used as a research for design tool to 1) sensitize and engage non-experts to provide their perspective on the context and 2) indicate threats and opportunities for the design of smart home devices in the home.

The first design fiction was a physical booklet containing news articles from the future. This was used to convey the broad spectrum of findings to a non-expert audience. Using these findings, the final speculative question was formulated, which defined the pretense of the film: “What if smart home devices develop dementia (and other aging-related conditions) due to their short product lifespans and the deterioration of hardware and software over long-term use?”. This question was used to define the storyline, scenes, filming, and editing process. As a result of the production process, a short, 6.5-minute film was created as the final design fiction prototype.

8 participants were evaluated using a semi-structured interview and the film, which considered their previous knowledge, their perspective on living with smart home systems, and the extent to which the film sensitized them to the topic. These findings contributed to the 12 design recommendations, which is a call to action for designers to design for ownership. These recommendations highlight the imbalanced relationship between devices, companies, and users while providing 12 tangible ways designers can create a greater sense of agency and ownership by making changes to the design of the user experience, user interface, and the way these systems themselves are designed.
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The adoption of ChatGPT among students for academic assistance, including report writing, has sparked debates on its integration into secondary education. Despite initial resistance, ChatGPT has firmly entrenched itself in secondary schools, necessitating a comprehensive exploration of its adoption and the design strategies to facilitate this process. This project, conducted in collaboration with SCO Delft and Christelijk Lyceum Delft (CLD), aimed to investigate the adoption of Generative AI in secondary education and propose design solutions to support this integration.

Research encompassed both the current landscape and future prospects of secondary education. Interviews with stakeholders, desk research, and semi-structured interviews with CLD teachers shed light on the current adoption of ChatGPT and the associated challenges, including biases, inaccuracies, and privacy concerns. Despite its potential benefits, inappropriate use among students and limited engagement from teachers due to time constraints and lack of training were identified.

Using the Vision in Product Design (ViP) approach, the project anticipated future scenarios and identified teachers' predominant mindset as social and motivated. Design efforts focused on accommodating this mindset while acknowledging teachers' time constraints. A problem statement emerged, highlighting the need for teachers to develop knowledge of Generative AI amidst demanding schedules and unclear guidance.

Concept prototypes, including a lesson module and a website, were developed and iteratively tested at CLD. Feedback sessions with teachers informed refinements, resulting in effective solutions that addressed teachers' needs and expectations. A roadmap for integrating Generative AI into secondary education by August 2026 was devised, emphasizing collaboration, knowledge sharing, and experimentation. CLD and SCO Delft are positioned as potential leaders, leveraging their insights and concept prototypes to drive adoption across schools.

Ultimately, the project underscores the inevitability of Generative AI in education and the importance of teaching students to use and critique it effectively. Teachers play a crucial role in guiding students and should be supported with ready-made teaching materials, professional development opportunities, and ongoing discussions. Government regulation is essential to ensure privacy and accessibility for all. As AI evolves rapidly, the roadmap must be regularly reviewed and adapted to remain relevant and effective. ... Read more

The hospitality industry, struggling with significant staff shortages, has increasingly turned to service robots as a solution. However, the prevalent service robot’s design with anthropomorphic appearance is considered inharmonious with the fine-dining restaurant ambiance and may harm the guests’ perception of the service. An alternative approach is exemplified by Rober, which adopts a design resembling a traditional cart. The non-anthropomorphic design offers flexibility, economic efficiency, and enhanced acceptability in hospitality settings. However, it also raises challenges in expressing intentions that are typically conveyed through human non-verbal cues. Consequently, the movement quality of service robots becomes a critical area of design to facilitate nuanced human-robot interaction (HRI) in hotel restaurant contexts.
The research focused on two main questions: how to design robot movement to facilitate essential interaction and collaboration qualities during dining experiences, and how to craft these movements using a dramaturgic performative approach. The project employed methodologies like speculative enactment and Extended Reality (XR) experiments to explore and evaluate robot movements. These methods allowed for creative ideation and assessments of the robot’s movements in simulated dining scenarios.
The project’s findings revealed that specific robot movements, including refined presence, prompted actions, and engaging addresses, significantly enhance the experience of guests, staff, and managers of the hotel restaurant. The robot’s role was envisioned as an ‘Ensemblist,’ a term encapsulating its function as an integral yet unobtrusive participant in the fine dining scene. This role demands the robot be ‘response-able,’ adapting to the fine dining rhythm. Furthermore, the project’s performative approach illuminated methods to design the robot’s movement as expressively meaningful and contextually appropriate. Methodological reflections revealed the effectiveness of speculative enactment and XR experiments in capturing the complexities of human-robot interactions, though suggesting future improvements in prototype fidelity, participant diversity, and advanced data treatment.
This project contributes to the field of HRI in hospitality, bridging theoretical concepts with practical applications. It lays the groundwork for future research in service robot design, emphasizing the need for nuanced interaction designs that resonate with human users in the hospitality sector. ... Read more

There are more and more women who participate in sports on a professional level. The Olympic games in 1964, in Japan, have been the first ones where almost half of the athletes participating were female. But still, a lot of female athletes train based on what has worked for men. As in many other fields, there is a research data gap because studies of exercise, muscle and cardiovascular physiology are commonly studied on male participants (O’Halloran, 2020). That comes with obvious problems. Not taking the unique biological differences that women experience, including the menstrual cycle and hormonal fluctuations into account. Women’s bodies are not simply smaller versions of men’s, so it’s important that we approach training in a way that acknowledges and accommodates these differences. (Criado-Perez, 2019)

This graduation project explores the impact the hormonal cycle has on rowers performance and wellbeing. As well as how to include this female health aspect in the rowing practice to empower rowers to reach their fullest potential. The project applied a co-creation approach involving multiple experts from different disciplines such as gynocology, sportspychology and of course rowers and coaches. The research includes a study with over 200 rowers, multiple interviews and co-creation sessions with the experts.

The insights gained from the research were coined in the final result of this thesis. The outcome is a novel more meaningful approach to performance tracking and communication. As every women is different in their needs the rowers can choose one of the 5 tracking paths in the app. This ask daily questions to put their individual menstrual health factor in correlation with their performance. After each cycle, they reflect on their data by transferring information from the digital app into a physical booklet. This allows them to put their data into their own context, making them the owner of their experience and lets them select the relevant insights they would like to share with their coaches. Moreover the booklet also prepares the rowers for coach reflection meetings, that occur after three individual reflection moments, fostering proactive action by both rowers and coaches. ... Read more

This project focuses on developing design guidelines for Human-Agent Collaboration around Authority, Autonomy, and Control in the outdoor painting context. While painting as an activity is something most of us have done and understand, working professionals have a sense of pride and skill in their motions that would be difficult to replace with agents. Painters are generally conservative and wary of innovation, as they deeply enjoy the restoration process. Still, they are also a profession that finds it difficult to recruit as many people as before. This project explored how agents could support painters to work sustainably to see what possibilities exist for collaboration. Through a combination of design and research activities, a Design Fiction grounded in painting practice and focused on Authority, Autonomy, and Control was developed. The Design Fiction facilitated discussions with painters around the three themes. From these discussions, design guidelines were developed for each theme.

The guidelines contributed to the project's overall goal: understanding how agentic technology could facilitate the sustainable employment of painters. ... Read more

This executive summary provides an overview of the key findings and insights presented in the master's thesis named "Exploring MINIs contribution to urban ecosystems. Igniting Strategies on heat wave mitigation.". The study investigates the role of the brand MINI, in addressing the pressing issue of urban heat waves and its transformation to an ecosystemfocused contributor. With systemic design, a transition of viewpoint is offered in this thesis, and an additional planet centered approach is used to find new solutions which take the entanglements of the city into consideration. Urban heat waves have become a critical concern within the context of global climate change and urban development. Within the automotive industry, the heat generated by vehicles in cities has been identified as a blind spot that has received insufficient attention in recent decades. With this thesis a possible strategy with examplary interventions to address this gap is derived to make a meaningful contribution. This executive summary outlines the different chapters which include strategies, solutions, and recommendations presented in the thesis to address this challenge. After the introduction and table of figures the following chapters are: Chapter 3 – Background: This chapter introduces the urban heat wave problem and its impacts on urban ecosystems. It highlights the pivotal role of MINI in recognizing the challenge and aligning its strategies with the broader initiatives of urban development. Additionally, a comprehensive trend and context analysis, identifying the crucial role of automobiles in exacerbating this problem. Chapter 4 – Design Process: Chapter 4 explains the Design Process of this Master Thesis in three diamonds, which involves exploration through research, envisioning potential futures and third, defining a strategy for action. Chapter 5 – Stakeholder Analysis: In this chapter the outcome of Interviews conducted with both citizens and experts are presented, to shed light on the system’s issues and deepening the understanding of the problems at hand. Chapter 6 – Co-creation: To foster a co-creative approach, three workshops to facilitate dialogue and solution generation in collaboration with stakeholders where conducted. Chapter 7 – Synthesis: In a final Synthesis a Strategy for MINI is presented with the goal to shift the mindset of citizens and vehicle users through a three step approach. The first step involves raising awareness on heat waves by providing information. The second step focuses on developing vehicles that minimize heat generation. The third and most transformative step encourages a change in consumer mindset towards a concept where individuals gain access to mobility in exchange for contributing to society. The overarching goal is to reduce heat in cities effectively and contribute to the larger city ecosystem. Chapter 8 – Conclusion: By aligning MINIs strategy with the city goals, advocating for sustainable mobility, and collaborating with stakeholders, MINI can strive to create cooler, more sustainable urban environments for all. With the transition of MINI towards an ecosystem mindset and active contribution to the fight against urban heat waves, a transformation of users and citizens mindset can be achieved. The democratization of mobility through collaboration with city governments, citizens, and relevant stakeholders to determine the optimal vehicle solutions is recommended. The recognition that there is no one-size-fits-all solution underscores the need for a democratic approach. ... Read more

In less than a decade, smart doorbells have become a household stable, introducing a new form of surveillance cameras. But while the cameras have given a new purpose to the doorbell, they also come with an array of privacy concerns. Much critique has been given to the management of data and the effect private
surveillance has on society. Smart doorbells have also entered the street of Amsterdam, prompting the municipality to look into how to deal with the arising privacy issues. In this project, we approach the smart doorbell on the interaction level, zooming in on the interaction between two people - the visitor and the owner - through the medium of a smart doorbell. We explore how this medium
facilitates the interchange and how it facilitates an emerging power difference.
To challenge the current design of smart doorbells, alternative smart doorbells were designed, taking a starting point in three different definitions of privacy. Each doorbell opens up for a new form of negotiation of the terms of the interaction between owner and visitor. The end result was an exhibition held in
Amsterdam, where three new privacy-centric designs were displayed.
At the exhibition, data was gathered about visitors’ opinions and views on the doorbells and analysed to understand better people’s values and preferences in regards to privacy in the context of smart doorbells. The result showed that speculative design exhibitions could be a valuable tool for better understanding
citizens’ values and preferences. The physical manifestations of alternative futures allowed a nuanced and concrete discussion about possible interventions. This shows how speculative design can help institutions such as Amsterdam municipality deal with emerging technologies such as the smart doorbell. ... Read more

In the future, the digital environment is increasingly determining how we are living together. Both young and old are being challenged in preparing themselves for a world they do not know yet. Children are growing up in a faster changing world than their parents, increasing the tension between parents and children in how they perceive the world around them. Therefore, this project focuses on the generation differences between parents and children in perceiving the digitising world. This report describes the research on digital citizenship in the current and future context and describes the concept design process derived from it. The project takes a holistic approach, using the ViP method, and is done in collaboration with the design lab of the public library in Amsterdam. The two main questions in this project are: How do parents and children relate to the digitising world? And how can they be invited in creating a common understanding of what it means to be a (digital) citizen? The research phase of the project consisted mainly of interviews with parents and children and interviews with experts, getting to know the different points of view. Literature and desk research complemented the research. The concept presented in this project is Bubbel Babbel. Bubbel Babbel is a conversation box that allows parents and children to discover their digitising world together. The box invites parents and children to step out of their bubble and lets them experience the online world through the eyes of the offline world, and vice versa. The concept fits well with the future role of libraries, which become more focused on digital transformations. Therefore, Bubbel Babbel could serve as the first tool that builds a bridge between the physical world and the digital world, letting people wonder “how do we actually see the world?”. ... Read more

Robot systems are essentially a new species spreading around us, one that we willingly designed and introduced. Neither a natural species nor a mere human artefact. We have limited information about these smart agents. What do they want, what do you need from us, and how can we find a common ground of understanding to enhance each other through collaboration. Lely took a step into exploring these questions.

As a dutch-based company with a diverse portfolio of robot solutions, Lely thrives to bring dairy farming to the future. They cover many tasks assisting farmers and cows in barns worldwide. These increasingly capable entities are no longer tools but partners so we must take the next step into carefully designing our coexistence and collaboration with these robotic systems.

After extensive literature on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) and research activities with a variety of stakeholders, I developed a Robot Code of Conduct. This code guides developers into designing robotic systems delivering pleasurable, fitting and cohesive interactions. It provides intermediate-level knowledge on robot behavioural design by carrying the reader through three sets of guidelines differing in abstraction and actionability.

This project contributes to the field of HRI while spreading awareness of its relevance in practice. The document contains many influential factors that are applied and tailored to designing automated solutions in dairy farming. This document sets a direction and gives concrete guidelines to steer the development of the portfolio towards a vision where all Lely systems work and communicate desirably. Where they communicate as one. I obtained positive results from assessing the content and direction of this document with developers and farmers, however, further tests would be necessary for a more precise validation of this Robot Code of Conduct. Future research would be essential to transition from bringing awareness to relevant factors, to defining more recommendations and appropriate solutions. ... Read more

To prevent vision loss from eye diseases like glaucoma and retinopathy it is important to diagnose them on time. When you discover the diseases too late the vision will be irreversibly damaged. For this reason, diabetic people are screened preventively. In the past, this happened every year but now only every three years, all to save costs. Artificial intelligence is a promising technique in the field of eye disease detection, it is able to detect based on just a fundus picture if asymptomatic eye diseases like glaucoma or retinopathy are developing. It has the potential to make diagnosing these diseases easier and more affordable. But while AI systems often perform good in labs, the introduction in the real medical world often fails. This project focuses on designing an AI service around an AI eye detection algorithm using a human-centered approach. The goal is to create an AI service that fits and will be adapted in the clinical workflow of the different medical specialists.
The project is done for the company Ksyos, this is a digital healthcare institute in the Netherlands. The service is built on top of their current ophthalmology service. The new AI service uses besides ophthalmologists and optometrists also opticians. Opticians will in the new service do the pre-diagnosis of eye diseases, they do this by taking a fundus picture and run it through an AI system. This will filter out a lot of people who do not need the expertise of an optometrist. In the current ophthalmology service, 90% of the people screened have healthy eyes. The AI service will not be just a screening service but will be a disease detection service, which means that the GP needs to count on the validity of the results of the system. To guaranty the quality, the AI system will split the patients into three categories, green for people with clearly healthy eyes, red for people who have a severe case of an eye disease, and orange for people who probably have an eye disease. The orange and red patients will be sent based on the severity of the disease and the kind of disease to an optometrist or an ophthalmologist. Explaining the results of the AI screening will not be the responsibility of the optician. The optician does not have the knowledge and the capabilities to explain the results calmly and clearly to the patient, Ksyos will take over this task from him. Ksyos will send a letter with the results to the patient that explains calmly and clearly what the next step in the diagnosis will be. While the optician does not have to interact with the AI system the optometrists does, he needs to understand why the AI system makes certain decisions. They need to know what the AI system has found and where. This way they can interpret the decision of the AI system and decide if they agree with this or not. ... Read more

The urge to promote mental health and well-being is gaining increasing importance and attention in recent years. Adolescents, who are among the most vulnerable under this aspect, are experiencing an increase in mental health complaints and need of youth care in the Netherlands. In addition, they perceive current means of care as inappropriate to their needs. Generally, mental healthcare remains hard to access due to its elevated costs and lack of resources. Alternative ways to promote mental well-being appear necessary. These could be provided by implementing design to mediate and promote positive activities through human-product interactions. Teenagers make heavy use of smartphones with continuous internet connection; this creates the possibility to take advantage of digital phenotyping, the practice of gaining information on users’ (mental) state by collecting and interpreting data from smartphones’ sensors and interactions. This system would allow to detect when teenagers experience risk states and provide proper (design) interventions.

This project aimed at providing designers with strategies to create interventions promoting teenagers’ mental resilience and well-being through product-mediated activities. The research entailed literature review, interviews with experts and adolescents, examination of tools, prototyping and user evaluation. The Vision in Product design and Contextmapping methods were employed. Academic stress and depressed mood were identified as the two most relevant detectable risk markers for teenagers. The goals of "making adolescents embrace resilience as a collaborative learning process by identifying purpose and stick to congruent behaviour" (for academic stress) and "by reframing negative emotions, translating them into learning opportunities" (for depressed mood) led to the development of 14 intervention design strategies. These are presented in a card deck, whose evaluation stressed the importance of implementation, detailing and user testing to reach intended impact, and the necessity to evaluate and prevent potential counteractive effects.

This work contributes to the field of Design for Well-being and specifically to the Smart-CUEing MEntal health research project, whose aim is to promote adolescents’ well-being by implementing digital phenotyping and design interventions. ... Read more

With the development of Artificial intelligence and Machine learning capabilities, the connected objects are extended with predictive capabilities, and the character of things is changed to “things that predict” (Smit, 2021). If a connected device is able to embrace a predictive system that not only profiles for scripted behavior but could also use the knowledge co-created by all the other similar devices and their users that encounter similar situations, the predictions can be generated based on that. In this case, a new type of interplay between humans and things called "predictive relation" is created. However, challenges such as the transparency and users' acceptance of predictive behavior of the everyday connected product still require us to figure out before the future takes place. It is urged to understand the now and the future, and this leads to the question: ‘how to design transparent and acceptable predictive relations for the things that predict?’ Therefore, to investigate the question, the project will explore the predictive relations and identify the design qualities for predictive relations between humans and things by taking the XiaoMi’s Vacuum robot as the starting point of the case study. The purpose of this project is to explore the predictive relations and study the transparency and the acceptance of the predictive behavior. In answering the initial research question, this project proposed 2 propositions for transparency and acceptance respectively by combining the insights generated from the case study of XiaoMi’s vacuum robot and the creative session of envisioning the working of predicting vacuum robots. The 2 propositions are evaluated through the method of ‘Wizard-of-oz’ and proved valid by combining the results of quantitative and qualitative research. As one of the results of the evaluation, this project also proposes the idea of “Designer as the facilitator of the human-robot collaboration”. The designers can be the ones who help to bring in the background knowledge and the patterns of the predictive relation and indicate the ways for humans and robots to co-perform reliable and meaningful daily practice in their partnership. Eventually, this project takes designing a guidebook as one of the ways to clarify the idea and integrates the main results of the project into the guidebook to facilitate the collaboration between humans and predicting robots. ... Read more