Look who's talking: appearance of embodied conversational agents in eHealth

Stal, Silke ter

doi:10.3990/1.9789036551267

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 100 publications

(146 reference statements)

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“…The appearance and name intended to be gender-neutral, so users could interpret this for themselves. This might contribute to observer-target similarity as proposed by Paiva et al [13], which is also confirmed by [34], who found that older adults prefer an ECA image that is similar in age and gender. While it was requested that the general appearance is neutral, the ECA should be expressive and show a range of emotions through their facial expressions.…”

Section: Design Requirements For Ecas Personality and Appearancesupporting

confidence: 67%

“Hi, My Name is Robin” – Remotely Co-designing an Embodied Conversational Agent for Empathy with Older Adults

Tunç

Nijboer

Tinga

et al. 2023

Lecture Notes in Computer Science

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Embodied conversational agents (ECAs) have the potential to facilitate empathic relationships between older adults and eHealth coaches, but little research has been conducted on how to effectively include appearance and personality in the design of ECAs such that older adults can empathize with the agent. In this study, we aimed first to develop design requirements for ECAs that induce empathy in older adults. Second, we developed and reflected upon a remote (online), iterative co-design methodology which can be used as an alternative when traditional physical methods cannot take place (e.g. during COVID-19). Over the course of three months, five older adults (mean age 68 years) 1) received a paper booklet, 2) were invited to an Q&A session, 3) after which they were asked develop their own ECAs at home using the booklet, 4) and came back to discuss their designs online in a group setting to determine design requirements, 5) which were used to develop an interactive ECA, 6) that was individually evaluated in an online meeting. The final ECA, called Robin, was positively perceived in terms of appearance, but the participants expected the conversation with Robin to be more flexible and deeper. Overall, the current study demonstrated the feasibility of remote co-design activities for this population and presents recommendations for researchers and practitioners interested in or in need for a remote approach. Moreover, the current findings are translated in lessons learnt to inform design and development of future ECAs for older adults.

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Section: Design Requirements For Ecas Personality and Appearancesupporting

confidence: 67%

“Hi, My Name is Robin” – Remotely Co-designing an Embodied Conversational Agent for Empathy with Older Adults

Tunç

Nijboer

Tinga

et al. 2023

Lecture Notes in Computer Science

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“…A lack of content and an absence of his personality were cited as reasons for Carlos being least preferred. This paper also shows that the participants were more positive about the different coaches at first sight compared to after four weeks of using the COUCH system ( Ter Stal et al, 2021 ). The second paper, from Beinema et al (2021) looks specifically at the difference in lengths of interaction in situations where the user chooses the topic of discussion versus situations in which the system suggests a topic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…This suggestion is supported by two other papers that have analysed the results of this same study from different perspectives. The work of Ter Stal et al (2021) described which of the coaches in the COUCH system was preferred most/least often and why. This work shows that most older adults did not have a preference for one specific coach, but the coach that is mentioned most often was Olivia (the physical activity coach).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of a virtual coaching system eHealth intervention: A mixed methods observational cohort study in the Netherlands

Hurmuz

Jansen-Kosterink

Beinema

et al. 2022

Internet Interventions

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“…ECAs often have a human-like appearance and communicate via prewritten dialogue. They also have the ability to establish and maintain an empathic relationship by using empathic behavior, both verbal, via text or speech, and nonverbal, via facial and gaze expressions and hand and body gestures [ 9 ]. These behaviors may make them more engaging than traditional eHealth interventions [ 10 , 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use and Effect of Embodied Conversational Agents for Improving Eating Behavior and Decreasing Loneliness Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Randomized Controlled Trial

Kramer¹,

Velsen²,

Clark³

et al. 2022

JMIR Form Res

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Background Embodied conversational agents (ECAs) have been proposed as a promising interaction modality for the delivery of programs focused on promoting lifestyle changes. However, it is not understood what factors influence the health effects of ECAs or their use. Objective We aimed to (1) identify whether ECAs could persuade community-dwelling older adults to change their dietary behavior and whether ECA use could decrease loneliness, (2) test the pathways to these effects, and (3) understand factors influencing the use of ECAs. Methods A randomized controlled trial was conducted. The intervention group received access to the PACO service for 8 weeks. The waitlist group started PACO use after waiting for 4 weeks. Two primary outcomes (eating behavior and loneliness) were assessed via online questionnaires at intake, upon joining the waitlist, after 4 weeks, and after 8 weeks. The third primary outcome (use) was assessed via data logs. Secondary outcomes were measured at the same time points, via questionnaires or an optional interview. Results In total, 32 participants completed the intervention. We found a significant correlation between use in minutes on the one hand, and perceived usefulness (r=0.39, P=.03) and enjoyment on the other (r=0.38, P=.03). However, these did not predict use in the full regression model (F2,29=1.98, P=.16, R2=0.12). Additionally, PACO use did not lead to improvement in eating behavior (χ22=0.34, P=.85) or a decrease in loneliness (χ22=0.02, P=.99). Conclusions Our study did not provide any concluding evidence about factors that are linked to the use or health effects of ECAs. Future service design could benefit from either creating a functional design catering to the predominant stage in the precaution adoption process model of the targeted population, or by personalizing the service based on an intake in which the end user’s stage is determined. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04510883; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04510883 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR2-10.2196/22186

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Look who's talking: appearance of embodied conversational agents in eHealth

Cited by 3 publications

References 100 publications

“Hi, My Name is Robin” – Remotely Co-designing an Embodied Conversational Agent for Empathy with Older Adults

“Hi, My Name is Robin” – Remotely Co-designing an Embodied Conversational Agent for Empathy with Older Adults

Evaluation of a virtual coaching system eHealth intervention: A mixed methods observational cohort study in the Netherlands

Use and Effect of Embodied Conversational Agents for Improving Eating Behavior and Decreasing Loneliness Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Randomized Controlled Trial

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