Bittersweet Snapshots of Life: Designing to Address Complex Emotions in a Reminiscence Interaction between Older Adults and a Robot

Human-Computer Interaction and Human-Robot Interaction researchers have developed various reminiscence technologies for older adults, but the focus of such work has mostly been on making the technology usable and improving older adults’ memory recall. Our study of a robot facilitating reminiscence through conversations about personal photographs with 20 older adults uncovered a less discussed aspect of such interactions: reminiscence can evoke both bitter and sweet emotions. Without adequate emotional sensitivity, the robot sometimes responded inappropriately, requiring researchers to intervene in the interaction to address misunderstandings. To understand how to better address these challenges, we conducted a follow-up co-design workshop with 7 older adults to explore how the robot could better support managing bittersweet emotions. Through reflexive thematic analysis of the two studies, this paper identifies factors that trigger bittersweet emotions during reminiscence with a robot and provides strategies for technology to manage these emotions during such interactions. This research highlights the importance of addressing emotional experiences in the design of reminiscence technology. It also raises ethical concerns about the emotional vulnerability of deploying one-on-one AI technologies for older adults.