Pediatric Eye Exam Robot

Design Problem

OCT exams often evoke fear or boredom in children due to the intimidating clinical environment and unfamiliar robotic equipment. While the robotic arm’s mechanical design was nearly complete when I joined the team, the robot’s interaction behaviors and personality were still undefined. The team needed a compelling character and UX strategy to reduce fear, boost cooperation, and support smoother clinical workflows.

Research & Strategy

Contextual Inquiry I began by shadowing real OCT procedures at the Kellogg Eye Center to understand the full experience from a child’s perspective. This included how long children typically waited, how they responded to the robot, and the points of emotional friction.

Character System Design Our team generated multiple character concepts targeting different age-based patient responses. For example, younger children (ages 3–6) responded more positively to gentle, animal-inspired characters that emphasized familiarity and comfort, while older children preferred detective-style characters with interactive “missions” to combat boredom.

Survey Deployment and Data Analysis To ground our character design decisions in real user feedback, I analyzed survey responses collected from children and families after their OCT visits. I created a suite of data visualizations that revealed key preferences in robot appearance, personality tone, and emotional impact. These insights directly shaped which character prototypes advanced to video production.

Prototype Testing and Iteration After narrowing to four designs, we refined visual and behavioral elements based on medical staff feedback (e.g., adjusting materials or appearance to align with hygiene standards). I led the creation of short character showcase videos for survey testing and preference evaluation.

Pre-Exposure Media Development Building on pediatric media literature, I designed a calming, narrative-based animated video introducing Sam. Intended to be played at home and in the clinic waiting area, this pre-exposure media aimed to reduce first-contact anxiety and support smoother transitions into the exam room.

System Development

Storyboard with Interaction Design

• Authored a two-part storyboard illustrating emotionally sensitive interactions: (1) Sam’s introduction, designed to establish trust and excitement, and (2) Sam’s farewell, which emphasizes closure and positive memory formation.
• Storyboard followed a narrative arc (exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution) to reflect a child’s emotional journey.

Survey Visualization & Insight Extraction

• Generated multiple graphs and charts that summarized children’s character preferences, emotional states, and anticipated responses to pre-exposure media.
• Used in internal presentations and helped the team prioritize which designs to pursue further.

Collaborative Academic Paper

• Contributing to a forthcoming paper structured in ACM LaTeX, synthesizing findings across media design, child–robot interaction (CRI), and clinical UX research.