Buddy Bot!
ROLE
Product & UI/UX Design
DURATION
2 Months
2022
THEMES
Product Design, UI/UX,
Robotics, Remote work
TEAM
Yap Shu Min -
Product & UI/UX Design
Buddy Bot combines automated desk cleaning with companionship to create a productive and positive remote work environment.
Problem
Supporting wellbeing in remote Work Environments
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered work and learning environments, leading to a rise in remote work and home-based learning. This shift, coupled with the increased prevalence of anxiety and depression reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), highlights the need for solutions that address both the practical and emotional challenges of these new work/learning modalities.
This was an industry-partnered project with Lionsbot, a Singaporean smart robotics company that specializes in designing and manufacturing cleaning robots.
Research
Interviewing Working & Studying Adults
We interviewed Adults and Young adults who were working or studying, seeking to understand their work from home habits and identifying potential design opportunities.
We reached out to 31 users, through a means of verbal interviews and surveys.
Sample questions
What are some problems that you face with your current desk at it’s location? (i.e desk environment is not conducive, space too small, desk too cluttered)
What problems do you face with when working from home?
Core Insights
"When your office is also your living room, the lines blur fast. I feel like I'm always at work"
"I swear, my desk multiplies clutter overnight. my current desk can barely fit my laptop and my kopi. How to work like that?"
🤹
The WFH environment causes users to be less productive due to the distracting environment
⚖️
Users struggle with a lack of work-life balance when working from home
📚
Users struggle with a small and cluttered WFH desk
While offering convenience, working from home presents challenges to productivity and work-life balance. The blurred lines between work and rest often lead to decreased productivity or an imbalance between professional and personal life. Cluttered workspaces exacerbate these issues.
While directly influencing the home environment is difficult, a design solution could promote both productivity and a healthy work-life balance, while also encouraging a tidy workspace
How might we…
design a robot that encourages productivity during work from home while providing companionship?
Development
Creating the best work and play buddy.
We started off by generating over 30 robot design ideations before narrowing it down to the top 3 promising solutions to present to our users for feedback.
We wanted our design to be instantly recognizable and full of character, without sacrificing practicality.
These were our top three shortlisted designs: The Butler Bot, the Buddy Bot and the Balancing Bot.
We evaluated each concept against several criteria using a 10-point scale and then asked our initial interviewees to vote on their preferred design.
Buddy Bot performed best in both the scoring and the user preference rankings.
From there, I carried out further design refinements, translating the initial design concept into various design sketches and 3D models.
Building the Interface
We designed a user interface that prioritizes both usability and brand identity. We worked closely with Lionsbot to ensure the design seamlessly integrated their brand elements, including their signature offset shadows and rounded corners, creating a cohesive and user-friendly experience.
Buddy Bot
No Buddy is perfect- but Buddy Bot is.
Solution
Buddy Bot!
Buddy set
All buddy bots are… buddies. They will converse, joke or even argue with one another.
Smart charging
Buddy bots that stack together, charge together. Charge them all seamlessly by stacking them on top of their charging pad.
Customisable
Equipped with a variety of faces, customise your buddy bot’s unique look and signature LED colour.
Notification manager
Links easily to your mobile devices and makes sure to notify you of messages, schedules or even set alarms.
Revision mode
Flash cards, plays dedicated study/work playlist and mutes distracting notifications.
Image projector
Project linked videos, planners and social media platforms.
Buddy Bot! App
Profile Page
A centralized hub for managing multiple robots and settings. Users can easily add and monitor the status of each bot, select preferred languages, access services such as project planners, social media, or evenvideo streaming via Bluetooth.
My Robots
Customize buddy bot's appearance and personality while managing its schedule with reminders to seamlessly integrate into daily routines.
Revision Mode
Designed to be the ultimate study companion. Learn terms with virtual flashcards in the app, then test your knowledge with interactive quizzes from your Buddy Bot. Connect with other Buddy Bot users to play games and challenge each other, turning study time into a social activity.
Buddy Bot!
ROLE
Product &
UI/UX Designer
DURATION
2 Months
2022
THEMES
Product Design, UI/UX,
Robotics, Remote work
TEAM
Product Design, UI/UX,
Robotics, Remote work
Buddy Bot combines automated desk cleaning with companionship to create a productive and positive remote work environment
Problem
Supporting wellbeing in remote Work Environments
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered work and learning environments, leading to a rise in remote work and home-based learning. This shift, coupled with the increased prevalence of anxiety and depression reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), highlights the need for solutions that address both the practical and emotional challenges of these new work/learning modalities.
This was an industry-partnered project with Lionsbot, a Singaporean smart robotics company that specializes in designing and manufacturing cleaning robots.
Research
Interviewing Working & Studying Adult
We interviewed Adults and Young adults who were working or studying, seeking to understand their work from home habits and identifying potential design opportunities.
We reached out to 31 users, through a means of verbal interviews and surveys.
Sample questions
What are some problems that you face with your current desk at it’s location? (i.e desk is not conducive, space too small, desk too cluttered)
What problems do you face with when working from home?
Core Insights
"When your office is also your living room, the lines blur fast. I feel like I'm always at work"
"I swear, my desk multiplies clutter overnight. my current desk can barely fit my laptop and my kopi. How to work like that?"
🤹
The WFH environment causes users to be less productive due to the distracting environment
⚖️
Users struggle with a lack of work-life balance when working from home
📚
Users struggle with a small and cluttered WFH desk
While offering convenience, working from home presents challenges to productivity and work-life balance. The blurred lines between work and rest often lead to decreased productivity or an imbalance between professional and personal life. Cluttered workspaces exacerbate these issues.
While directly influencing the home environment is difficult, a design solution could promote both productivity and a healthy work-life balance, while also encouraging a tidy workspace
How might we…
design a robot that encourages productivity during work from home while providing companionship?
Development
Creating the best work and play buddy.
We started off by generating over 30 robot design ideations before narrowing it down to the top 3 promising solutions to present to our users for feedback.
We wanted our design to be instantly recognizable and full of character, without sacrificing practicality.
These were our top three shortlisted designs: The Butler Bot, the Buddy Bot and the Balancing Bot.
We evaluated each concept against several criteria using a 10-point scale and then asked our initial interviewees to vote on their preferred design.
Buddy Bot performed best in both the scoring and the user preference rankings.
From there, I carried out further design refinements, translating the initial design concept into various design sketches and 3D models.
Building the Interface
We designed a user interface that prioritizes both usability and brand identity. We worked closely with Lionsbot to ensure the design seamlessly integrated their brand elements, including their signature offset shadows and rounded corners, creating a cohesive and user-friendly experience.
Buddy Bot
No Buddy is perfect-
but Buddy Bot is.
Solution
Buddy Bot!
Buddy set
All buddy bots are… buddies. They will converse, joke or even argue with one another.
Smart charging
Buddy bots that stack together, charge together. Charge them all seamlessly by stacking them on top of their charging pad.
Customisable
Equipped with a variety of faces, customise your buddy bot’s unique look and signature LED colour.
Notification manager
Links easily to your mobile devices and makes sure to notify you of messages, schedules or even set alarms.
Revision mode
Flash cards, plays dedicated study/work playlist and mutes distracting notifications.
Image projector
Project linked videos, planners and social media platforms.
Profile Page
A centralized hub for managing multiple robots and settings. Users can easily add and monitor the status of each bot, select preferred languages, access services such as project planners, social media, or evenvideo streaming via Bluetooth.
Revision Mode
Designed to be the ultimate study companion. Learn terms with virtual flashcards in the app, then test your knowledge with interactive quizzes from your Buddy Bot. Connect with other Buddy Bot users to play games and challenge each other, turning study time into a social activity.
My Robots
Customize buddy bot's appearance and personality while managing its schedule with reminders to seamlessly integrate into daily routines.