Overview

Singapore is second in the world, losing only to South Korea, in the adoption of robots in the workforce. We have 605 robots per 10,000 workers and the pandemic has only hastened the adoption rate. The robotic workforce is expected to soften the labour crunch and if there is one sector where the labour crunch is glaringly dire, it is the healthcare sector. Specifically the eldercare sector.


Can you use the Agile Method in Robotics Development?

This was the question I asked myself early on in the process. It was a leap for me personally to go from developing digital products using an agile process to developing a MVP service robot.

T Process

  1. Formulate Test Plan
  2. Conduct Usability Test
  3. Compile Test Report

Formulate Test Plan

Due to the nature of the platform, it is necessary to evaluate its usability not just through the use of the software UI but also the tangible UI of the VR system.

The usability evaluation needed to be done for the platform from the use case of a course author and course learner. For my part as the Singapore UX researcher, I was tasked with conducting the evaluation of the platform with course learners drawn from a subsidiary who needed to be trained on the installation and maintenance of a new Delta EV charger.

Users were asked to perform the following tasks and then observed with minimal assistance if they encountered a difficulty.

  1. Log In
  2. Join the assigned course
  3. Put on visor, controllers and enter the VR environment
  4. Go through the training
  5. Log out of the VR lobby