Privacy as Empowerment: UX Innovation for Telepresence Robots in Pediatric Education

Authors

  • Philipp Schütz Head of Experience & Partner, chilli mind GmbH, Königstor 23, 34117 Kassel, Germany
  • Oliver Gerstheimer Managing Director, chilli mind GmbH, Königstor 23, 34117 Kassel, Germany
  • Beate Tertilte UX Designer, chilli mind GmbH, Königstor 23, 34117 Kassel, Germany
  • Isabelle Friedrich UX Designer, chilli mind GmbH, Königstor 23, 34117 Kassel, Germany

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23726/cij.2026.1793

Keywords:

Privacy by Default, Telepresence Software, Privacy, Sick Children, Informational Self-determination, Participation in School, Privacy by Design, Data Minimization, Avatar, Robot, Use-centred Design, User Experience, AI-generated Digital User Twins

Abstract

Telepresence robots are increasingly used to keep severely or chronically ill children connected to their classmates, yet existing solutions rarely anchor privacy as a central UX concern. This paper reports on the UX and interface design in the project PRIVATAR, which links the right to informational self-determination of all stakeholders with the digital participation of ill children. Drawing on studies, field investigations, and expert workshops, we derive requirements for privacy by default, data minimization, and transparency, and translate them into concrete UX patterns: child-friendly privacy icons, a “Sendbox” for visualizing current data transmissions, as well as spatial no-go and no-view zones with role-based control rights for parents, teachers, and a support team. In addition, we use AI-supported digital user twins to systematically explore rare and privacy-critical scenarios. We reflect on the methodological implications of this approach for rare and vulnerable target groups and show how privacy-focused UX can function not as a barrier but as an enabler of psychosocial participation and educational continuity in school settings.

Author Biographies

Philipp Schütz, Head of Experience & Partner, chilli mind GmbH, Königstor 23, 34117 Kassel, Germany

Philipp Schütz is Head of Experience at the innovation consultancy chilli mind. He co-creates digital eco-systems, human-centered products, and impactful service design concepts for global brands such as Siemens, Sartorius or Barry Wehmiller. The projects he has been involved in have won international design trophies, including multiple iF Design awards. During his product design studies he worked at the competence center for social and urban design “SOUND” at the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences. He holds a master’s degree in design and researches and publishes on avoiding design.

Oliver Gerstheimer, Managing Director, chilli mind GmbH, Königstor 23, 34117 Kassel, Germany

Oliver Gerstheimer has been an enthusiastic evangelist and designer for the better “digital products of tomorrow” for more than 20 years. In 2001, he founded chilli mind – a think tank for digital innovation, service design and UX design. Oliver regularly gives talks and publishes on international platforms for innovation and design, and he has tought at German and Swiss universities of design for 15 semesters. He studied system design as well as technology and innovation management at the University of Kassel.

References

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Neumann, P., Büttner, S. T., Hernández Acosta, L., Reinhardt, D., & Prilla, M. (2024). “I Don’t Want Parents to Watch My Lessons” – Privacy trade-offs in the use of telepresence robots in schools for children with long-term illnesses. In Proceedings of Mensch und Computer 2024 (MuC ’24), 448–454.

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Gerstheimer, O., Schütz, P., Trebbin, S., Rauchfuß, F., Holtel, S., (2024). Innovation durch KI-Dialog – Living Personas & Digital Customer Twins. In Entwerfen Entwickeln Erleben 2024 (EEE), https://doi.org/10.25368/2024.EEE.024

Gerstheimer, O., Hartmann, M. & Wüst, S. (2013). „Tele-Medizintechnik“: User-Experience-Design eines gesamtheitlichen Blutzuckermesssystems. In H. Brau, A. Lehmann, K. Petrovic & M. C. Schroeder (Hrsg.), Tagungsband Usability Professionals 2013. (S. 138 – 145). German UPA e.V.

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Published

2026-05-27

How to Cite

Schütz, P., Gerstheimer, O., Tertilte, B., & Friedrich, I. (2026). Privacy as Empowerment: UX Innovation for Telepresence Robots in Pediatric Education. CERN IdeaSquare Journal of Experimental Innovation, 10(1), 34–42. https://doi.org/10.23726/cij.2026.1793

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 1 (2026): Special Issue on 'Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship'

Section

Original Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Philipp Schütz, Oliver Gerstheimer, Beate Tertilte, Isabelle Friedrich

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