Behavioral Design of Guiding Agents to Encourage their Use by Visitors in Public Spaces

Abstract

To encourage visitors to use guiding agents in public spaces, this study adopted a design approach and focused on identifying behavioral factors that would encourage interaction. Six factors of agent behavior were hypothesized, and an experiment was performed in a public space with real people. One or two communication robots were installed near the entrance of a university library. The reactions of library users passing by the robot were observed and recorded under different robot behavior conditions. The results showed that the robots were able to attract attention by uttering guidance information and looking in various directions while waiting for people. When the robots spoke directly to nearby people, the people tended to interact with them. The results of a questionnaire survey suggested that the voice, speech content, and appearance of the robots are also important factors.