Ethically-Aware Participatory Design of a Productivity Social Robot for College Students

2025-11-30

AI Summary

To address low academic productivity among university students—particularly those with ADHD—stemming from executive function deficits, this study designs an ethically embedded social assistive robot (SAR). Moving beyond self-regulation–dependent tools, the project adopts a dual-track approach: “ethics-by-design” and participatory design. Through in-depth interviews and co-design workshops with students and academic coaches, we identified core productivity barriers and interaction requirements. Based on these insights, we developed an SAR behavioral framework centered on cognitive support, context-aware prompting, and non-judgmental feedback, alongside a stakeholder-governed ethical guideline. The outcomes include reusable design principles, functional specifications, and an empirically grounded ethical framework. This work advances both theoretical understanding and practical implementation of responsible, neurodiversity-affirming productivity technologies in higher education.

Technology Category

• Philosophy and Ethics of AI: Safety, Robustness & Trustworthiness
• Intelligent Robots: Human-Robot Interaction
• Humans and AI: Interaction Techniques and Devices

Application Category

• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Fairness and ethical considerations in crowd work and in human-in-the-loop AI systems
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Accountability, Transparency, and Ethics for personalization

Abstract

College students often face academic and life stressors affecting productivity, especially students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) who experience executive functioning challenges. Conventional productivity tools typically demand sustained self-discipline and consistent use, which many students struggle with, leading to disruptive app-switching behaviors. Socially Assistive Robots (SARs), known for their intuitive and interactive nature, offer promising potential to support productivity in academic environments, having been successfully utilized in domains like education, cognitive development, and mental health. To leverage SARs effectively in addressing student productivity, this study employed a Participatory Design (PD) approach, directly involving college students and a Student Success and Well-Being Coach in the design process. Through interviews and a collaborative workshop, we gathered detailed insights on productivity challenges and identified desirable features for a productivity-focused SAR. Importantly, ethical considerations were integrated from the onset, facilitating responsible and user-aligned design choices. Our contributions include comprehensive insights into student productivity challenges, SAR design preferences, and actionable recommendations for effective robot characteristics. Additionally, we present stakeholder-derived ethical guidelines to inform responsible future implementations of productivity-focused SARs in higher education.

Problem

• Designing a productivity social robot for college students with ADHD
• Addressing disruptive app-switching and self-discipline challenges in productivity tools
• Integrating ethical guidelines into participatory design of assistive robots

Innovation

• Participatory design with students and coaches
• Ethical guidelines integrated from the start
• Social robot for productivity and ADHD support