Kirsikka Kaipainen (PhD, Information Technology) currently works as a postdoctoral researcher in the research group of Human-Centered Technology (IHTE) at Tampere University, Finland. She received her doctoral degree in 2014 from Tampere University of Technology. Her research interests encompass persuasive social robots and technologies to promote sustainability, equality and wellbeing. She is experienced in the design and evaluation of wellbeing technologies, and in conducting field studies on user experience with social robots.
Salla Jarske (Master of Social Science) is a doctoral researcher in the research group of Human-Centered Technology (IHTE) at Tampere University. She received her master’s degree in social science (Social Psychology) from Tampere University in 2017. She wrote her master’s thesis on ethnomethodology, and is currently pursuing her doctorate on human-robot interaction with social robots.
Jari Varsaluoma (PhD, User Experience) is working as a postdoctoral researcher in the research group of Human-Centered Technology (IHTE) in Tampere University, Finland. His doctoral research focused on supporting digital product development with user experience goals, usage data analytics and long-term evaluations. He has over 10 years of research experience from human-technology interaction projects in close collaboration with industry in domains such as mobile learning, wearable wellness technology and machinery automation. He has been in the board of SIGCHI Finland association since 2014. His current research work focuses on supporting youth’s societal participation with digital means.
Kaisa Väänänen is a full professor of user experience (Human-Computer Interaction) in Tampere University, Finland. Kaisa leads the research group of Human-Centered Technology (IHTE) in the unit of Computing Sciences. Kaisa has over 25 years of experience in research related to human-computer interaction of novel systems, both in university and industry. In 1995-2004, she worked at Nokia Inc, in leading positions of user needs research and strategic consumer insights. Kaisa’s research interests cover user experience and human-centered design, with emphasis on novel digital services and technologies that can advance sustainability.
Persuading Youth in Civic Participation with Social Robots: What Is Appropriate?
Engaging youth in civic participation is essential for sustainable societies. Social robots, as embodied and interactive entities, may be feasible tools to spark youth’s interest. To start designing persuasive interactions for this purpose, we conducted a study addressing the question, what do youth consider as appropriate behaviour for a civic robot? We developed three scenarios describing social robots as persuaders for youth’s civic participation. The scenarios were evaluated in three workshops with 51 fifteen-year-old participants. The credibility of the robot emerged as a central theme: a civic robot should emphasize its purpose and avoid any pretence – also when expressing emotions.
