1. 7 steps to ensure Roomba’s adoption
@HumanCentricity
@epfl
Pedagogical
Valérie Bauwens, Julia Fink, CRAFT, EPFL Research and
Support

2. What have we done?
6 months ethnographic
study, 9 households
Who
Why? Does what
With whom How much
How When
Where
(physical
environment)
Valérie Bauwens, Julia Fink, EPFL

3. Was Roomba adopted?
Yes, by 3 out of 9
households
Adopter: Rejector:
« I don’t have
to vacuum « It is faster
anymore every if I do it myself»
second day »
Valérie Bauwens, Julia Fink, EPFL

4. Take away:
Can your robot pass
the 7 adoption
stepstones?
Valérie Bauwens, Julia Fink, EPFL

5. Step1: practical utility
Do I gain time? Is
my home cleaner?
Daily cleaning session
Valérie Bauwens, Julia Fink, EPFL

6. Step1: practical utility
But also how to get rid
of « secondary
painpoints »
Valérie Bauwens, Julia Fink, EPFL

7. Step 2: physical space
How much do I have
to change in my home
for Roomba?
Valérie Bauwens, Julia Fink, EPFL

8. Step 2: physical space
How much do I have to
change every time I
use Roomba?
Valérie Bauwens, Julia Fink, EPFL

9. Step 3: learning to use technology
How much effort do I
need to do
to learn using the robot?
Valérie Bauwens, Julia Fink, EPFL

10. Step 4: habits
What do I have to
change to my habits?
Valérie Bauwens, Julia Fink, EPFL

11. Step 5: emotional relationship to
technology:
Can I attach myself to
Roomba?
Valérie Bauwens, Julia Fink, EPFL

12. Step 6: social influence:
How can it impact my
social life?
Picture of Roomba hidden under the sofa or in a closet
Valérie Bauwens, Julia Fink, EPFL

13. Step 7: financial utility:
What financial
benefits?
Acquisition: “I am not sure I would have paid
that much. When you buy Miele, you know
what you get”
Usage: “How much does it cost to replace the
brushes?”
Valérie Bauwens, Julia Fink, EPFL

14. To conclude:
Think systemic!
Test out these steps, refine them and challenge them…
…and give us your feed backs
Valérie Bauwens, Julia Fink, EPFL

15. Thanks to all our participants!
Valérie Bauwens (valerie.bauwens@human-centricity.com)
Julia Fink (julia.fink@epfl.ch)
Dr. Frédéric Kaplan
Prof. Pierre Dillenbourg
Centre de Recherche et d'Appui pour la Formation et ses Technologies (CRAFT)
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
Rolex Learning Center
CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
This research was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation through the National
Centre of Competence in Research on Robotics.