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Design and Evaluation of a Socially Assistive Robot Schoolwork Companion for College Students with ADHD

Amy O'Connell, Ashveen Banga, Jennifer Ayissi, Nikki Yaminrafie, Ellen Ko, Andrew Le, Bailey Cislowski, Maja Matarić

TL;DR

This study designs and evaluates an in-dorm socially assistive robot study companion tailored for college students with ADHD, using a three-week within-subjects protocol (N=11) to assess usability and gather user feedback. The Blossom robot, paired with a webcam and Raspberry Pi, delivers idle motions during 25-minute study sessions and records activity to analyze usability (SUS) and impact on study behavior. Findings show high usability (SUS ≈ 83.9) and substantial voluntary use, with participants reporting companionship and accountability despite loud, jerky motions that were later deemed modifiable. The work demonstrates the feasibility and value of long-term, participatory design in real dorm settings, while outlining concrete improvements (e.g., mobile UI, attention-monitoring, reminders) to enhance effectiveness and adoption in ADHD populations.

Abstract

College students with ADHD respond positively to simple socially assistive robots (SARs) that monitor attention and provide non-verbal feedback, but studies have been done only in brief in-lab sessions. We present an initial design and evaluation of an in-dorm SAR study companion for college students with ADHD. This work represents the introductory stages of an ongoing user-centered, participatory design process. In a three-week within-subjects user study, university students (N=11) with self-reported symptoms of adult ADHD had a SAR study companion in their dorm room for two weeks and a computer-based system for one week. Toward developing SARs for long-term, in-dorm use, we focus on 1) evaluating the usability and desire for SAR study companions by college students with ADHD and 2) collecting participant feedback about the SAR design and functionality. Participants responded positively to the robot; after one week of regular use, 91% (10 of 11) chose to continue using the robot voluntarily in the second week.

Design and Evaluation of a Socially Assistive Robot Schoolwork Companion for College Students with ADHD

TL;DR

This study designs and evaluates an in-dorm socially assistive robot study companion tailored for college students with ADHD, using a three-week within-subjects protocol (N=11) to assess usability and gather user feedback. The Blossom robot, paired with a webcam and Raspberry Pi, delivers idle motions during 25-minute study sessions and records activity to analyze usability (SUS) and impact on study behavior. Findings show high usability (SUS ≈ 83.9) and substantial voluntary use, with participants reporting companionship and accountability despite loud, jerky motions that were later deemed modifiable. The work demonstrates the feasibility and value of long-term, participatory design in real dorm settings, while outlining concrete improvements (e.g., mobile UI, attention-monitoring, reminders) to enhance effectiveness and adoption in ADHD populations.

Abstract

College students with ADHD respond positively to simple socially assistive robots (SARs) that monitor attention and provide non-verbal feedback, but studies have been done only in brief in-lab sessions. We present an initial design and evaluation of an in-dorm SAR study companion for college students with ADHD. This work represents the introductory stages of an ongoing user-centered, participatory design process. In a three-week within-subjects user study, university students (N=11) with self-reported symptoms of adult ADHD had a SAR study companion in their dorm room for two weeks and a computer-based system for one week. Toward developing SARs for long-term, in-dorm use, we focus on 1) evaluating the usability and desire for SAR study companions by college students with ADHD and 2) collecting participant feedback about the SAR design and functionality. Participants responded positively to the robot; after one week of regular use, 91% (10 of 11) chose to continue using the robot voluntarily in the second week.
Paper Structure (28 sections, 4 figures, 3 tables)

This paper contains 28 sections, 4 figures, 3 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Related Work
  3. Procrastination and Executive Functions in College Students with ADHD
  4. Social Facilitation and Inhibition
  5. Designing for Users with ADHD
  6. Technologies for students with ADHD
  7. In-Dorm Robots
  8. Methods
  9. Research Questions
  10. SAR Study Companion System
  11. Interaction Design
  12. In-Dorm User Study
  13. Study Design
  14. Participants
  15. Procedure
  16. ...and 13 more sections

Figures (4)

  • Figure 1: Blossom and the study system, including the tripod-mounted webcam and touch screen interface
  • Figure 2: The Blossom robot, Logitech webcam, and 7-inch touch screen UI connected to a Raspberry Pi 4 computer
  • Figure 3: Daily use of the in-dorm study companion robot under condition C (voluntary use)
  • Figure 4: Session start times, by hour, in each condition