FOCUS:
Consumer Robots · Market Segments · Behavior Change
ROLE:
Innovation Strategist · Product Research Lead
DELIVERABLES:
Segment-Specific Design Insights · Alignment Framework
CONTEXT:
Online Interviews · Holistic Product Design Method
Designing Robots for Marketplace Success
Evaluating preference, trade-offs, and pricing alignment across market segments using a novel product strategy tool.
Impact at a Glance
How might we design robots that actually succeed in the market? Despite growing interest in in-home social robots, little is known about what consumers truly want and are willing to pay for, and how this difference by market segment (early adopters vs mainstream consumers). This study aimed to identify what features and embodiments consumers prefer, how these differ by segment, and what trade-offs they make when price is considered.
Funded by a research fellowship from Amazon Lab126.
Innovation Strategist · Product Research Lead
I led a mixed-method study examining consumer robot adoption for behavior change, with a particular focus on early-stage product evaluation and design tradeoffs. As part of this work, I created and deployed Holistic Product Design Cards, a novel tool to assess segment-specific preferences and surface the compromises consumers were willing to make under pricing constraints. I independently designed the study structure, developed all research materials, and carried out both qualitative data collection and analysis. I also conducted a Van Westendorp pricing sensitivity analysis to evaluate perceived product value and pricing fit. These efforts directly informed future strategy around product-market alignment, target segmentation, and price-anchored design decisions for consumer robots.
Participants (n = 18) were recruited across the U.S. and categorized as either early adopters or part of the mainstream market based on answers to two questions. After discussing their goals, strategies, and failures regarding behavior change, they were shown videos of three existing technologies (Moti, Pavlok, Olly) and if and how they might use their features to support behavior change. Then, participants used a custom-designed set of Holistic Product Design Cards to build both an “ideal” and “price-constrained” robot. These cards displayed movement-based GIFs of form factors (e.g., robots, apps, wearables) and offered a range of functionality cards (e.g., voice interface, human coaching, behavior tracking) with associated market-based prices and competitors. Participants discussed their design choices and evaluated the product in its totality. Pricing sensitivity was evaluated using the Van Westendorp method as well as the holistic product design cards, and qualitative interviews were transcribed, coded, and thematically analyzed.
Holistic Product Design Cards
A New Proposal: Bridge Early Adopter Price-Based Design and Mainstream Ideal Design for Success
Pricing Sensitivities - Early Adopters vs Mainstream Market
Early adopters want human-likeness—until price and competitors becomes real
They preferred proactivity, mobility, and verbal communication—but drastically downgraded to simple device forms when asked to design for purchase.
Mainstream consumers value control, privacy, and simplicity
They avoided human-like robots and favored manual tracking, sounds over speech, and lower complexity designs.
Minimalist, movement-based design holds promise
Designs between an Echo Dot and Jibo, minimally embodied but capable of light movement, may have strong appeal across both segments.
Purchase intent doubled with design constraint
Price-constrained designs boosted average intent-to-purchase by 100%, while maintaining liking and willingness to use.
Overdesign is easy; product-market fit is hard
Most participants initially created overbuilt robots, but trimmed features once pricing was introduced—underscoring the gap between imagined and viable products.
Lean tools reveal hidden truths
Using product design cards helped participants articulate their values, tradeoffs, and emotional responses more clearly than interviews alone.
Purchase decisions are emotionally and financially strategic
Even when participants loved a feature, they often cut it if it wasn’t seen as essential—a reminder that product success hinges on perceived value, not just delight.
Established segment-specific design priorities and commonalities
Findings clarified the divergent and common needs of early adopters vs. mainstream users, directly informing future market segmentation strategy.
Created a novel product research methodology
The Holistic Product Design Cards have since been used in multiple studies to simulate price constraints and reduce overdesign.
Validated use of virtual concept testing tools
The approach enabled lean evaluation of pricing, desirability, and adoption likelihood without hardware development.
Led to the design of minimalistic robotic objects
Four new potential product designs were created and tested, largely based on findings from this work.
