iRobot wanted to develop a floor scrubbing robot called the Scooba 450 that would make cleaning floors easy for consumers. However, user testing showed that people found the original robot difficult to use due to confusing interactions and its nature as a disruptive technology. To address this, iRobot worked with ELEVEN to develop a more intuitive interface for the robot that would make the cleaning process clear and relate better to human users. The redesign focused on communication, feedback, and establishing a mental model for interaction that created an emotional connection with users. The new interface helped people understand and trust the robot, resolving the issues identified in user testing.

1. Interface Design & Human
Interaction:
iRobot’s Floor Scrubbing Robot

2. It sounded great, but user testing
showed that people had a hard time
getting the robot to work properly
due to confusing interactions and
difficulty relating to such a disruptive
technology.
iRobot wanted to develop the Scooba 450 as
“the only robot that scrubs hard floors so you
don’t have to.” Consumers should be able to
run Scooba “at their convenience for brilliantly
clean hard floors every day, the easy way.”
Many consumers had experienced:
Confusion
Lack of Trust
Frustration

3. iRobot brought in ELEVEN to
help with a small part of the
Scooba design process . . .
to make the new robot relate
to humans.

4. 1. Create an intuitive interface that
communicates the process to operate a
device completely novel to users.
2. Leverage random cleaning pattern to
express a human quirkiness.
3. Communicate in as many languages as
possible (auditory, visual, kinesthetic, verbal).
Through the process,
five objectives emerged:
4. Generate relatable feedback. Express errors
in human language with clear prompts to
action.
5. Create a mental model for the interaction.
Reinforce that model with emotional
connection.

5. We mapped out hundreds of complex functions and devised an intuitive
interface that clearly communicated in a simple and human way.

6. The new Scooba
interface helped people
transition to a new way
of interacting with their
home and helped iRobot
delight its customers
while expanding their
market.