Robot Manual Case Study: Optimizing Troubleshooting for Autonomous Delivery Fleets
Project Summary
Autonomous delivery robots have rapidly moved beyond experimental spaces to become a familiar sight in our daily lives. To optimize the “last-mile” segment—which accounts for more than half of total logistics costs—demand for robot services is expanding rapidly. Consequently, the global robot market is showing record-breaking growth, with an average annual rate of approximately 30%.
- Residential & Urban Environments: Integrated indoor/outdoor delivery robots, last-mile delivery within apartment complexes, F&B (Food & Beverage) delivery robots for residential areas, and campus delivery robots.
- Medical Facilities: Delivery robots for pharmaceuticals, specimens, medical supplies, and high-risk medications.
- Restaurants (Food Courts): Serving robots for delivering food, beverages, and tableware.
- Offices, Hotels, & Smart Buildings: Robots for delivering documents and beverages within buildings, as well as room service and amenity delivery.
Prominent examples of delivery robots used in these scenarios include Dilly, NEUBIE, GAEMI, and LG CLOi ServeBot in Korea, as well as Starship Technologies in the U.S. Additionally, cloud-based robots utilizing digital twin technology are operational at NAVER 1784, NAVER’s flagship smart building.
As robots become an integral part of daily life, sharing space with humans, any stoppage or malfunction requires swift and accurate action. Ineffective responses by on-site personnel can lead to service dissatisfaction or even safety accidents. Therefore, a standardized response guide is essential to minimize service downtime and ensure public safety.
This case study details the process of restructuring the existing integrated RDS (Robot Delivery Solution) operating guide into a “Management-focused Operating Guide” and a “Practical Troubleshooting Guide,” ultimately transforming them into field-ready troubleshooting resources.
The original guides were “encyclopedic” manuals covering everything from installation to administrator page usage. When problems occurred, the instructions were text-heavy, complex, and lacked procedural clarity, making it difficult for on-site personnel to respond quickly.
This project focused on developing a specialized troubleshooting guide that allows on-site staff to intuitively diagnose various technical issues during RDS operation and resolve them accurately using standardized procedures.
Challenges
While the original full-version guides were technically comprehensive, they had several limitations for emergency response in control rooms or on-site:
- Complex and Massive Information Structure (Searchability): Information on installation, settings, and management was mixed, making it time-consuming to find specific troubleshooting steps.
- System-Centric Descriptions (Understandability): Explanations were based on internal system logic rather than the robot’s physical symptoms, making them difficult for on-site personnel to grasp intuitively.
- Lack of Visual Instructions (Visibility): Text-heavy descriptions made it hard to locate physical components like power panels, emergency stop buttons, or charger docking positions, increasing the risk of operational errors.
- Inconsistent Terminology (Consistency): Discrepancies between system UI labels and on-site terminology led to potential communication errors.
Our Solutions
Hansem Global established an information design strategy focused on maximizing searchability and problem-solving efficiency. We integrated quality principles from international standards, such as the “user-task-oriented” principle of IEC 82079-1 and safety information standards of ANSI Z535.
1. Information Architecture Design & Accessibility
We designed the structure to allow on-site personnel to find necessary information immediately during a crisis.
- Context and Task-Oriented Configuration: Issues were categorized by Notification Messages and Situational Symptoms, enabling staff to access solutions based on the specific scenario they encountered.
- Modularized and Standardized Procedures: All response procedures were standardized into a logical workflow: [Symptom Verification → Root Cause Analysis → Troubleshooting Workflow → Basic Inspection → Detailed Action → Verification → Technical Support Request (if needed)].
- Introduction of Branching Troubleshooting Workflows: We mapped out step-by-step procedures for each issue, visualizing response paths based on the success/failure of each step. Cross-reference links were applied to allow rapid navigation to relevant information.
- Cross-Referencing and Search Optimization: An appendix of notification messages (error codes) was provided with direct links to the corresponding solutions in the main text.
2. Action-Oriented Writing
The writing style was completely overhauled from “description-centric” to “execution-centric.”
- Procedure-Oriented Imperatives: Functional descriptions were moved to the Operating Guide, while the Troubleshooting Guide prioritized clear, step-by-step imperative sentences to facilitate immediate action.
- Elimination of Redundancy: By establishing an integrated reference system with the Operating Guide, we removed duplicate information and focused strictly on the specialized troubleshooting actions.
3. Visualization via Technical Illustrations
Precise illustrations were used to visualize physical hardware operations that are difficult to explain with text alone, ensuring that on-site personnel can act accurately without operational errors.
4. Enhanced Safety Management
We ensured safety by incorporating guidelines based on ANSI Z535 and emergency response protocols.
- Reinforced Safety Blocks: Safety information that was previously buried in text was categorized into “Warning” and “Caution” based on severity and probability. We used visual message boxes and dedicated sections to highlight these risks.
- Emergency Response Protocols: Specific instructions for emergencies, such as fires or personal injury accidents, were added as a separate section.
5. Consistency through Terminology Standardization
We prevented communication errors to ensure accurate troubleshooting.
- Term Consistency: System UI labels were synchronized with the guide to prevent cognitive confusion.
- Glossary Provision: A glossary was added to the appendix to improve the accuracy of communication between on-site teams.
6. Expertise via ARC Brain Documentation Specialists
To ensure practical effectiveness, the project involved writers who specialize in the ARC Brain User Guide (the core control system for NAVER robots). Their deep understanding of the system allowed for a design where system logic and on-site actions align perfectly.
Outcome
This project involved a full-scale restructuring of existing operating manuals into practical, action-oriented troubleshooting guides designed to enable immediate response and resolve technical issues during RDS (Robot Delivery Solution) operations more swiftly and accurately.
The expected benefits of this advanced troubleshooting guide include:
- Reduced Mean Time to Repair (MTTR): Intuitive tables of contents and standardized workflows allow staff to identify and resolve issues faster, ensuring service continuity.
- Standardization and Upgrading of Response Expertise: Even less-experienced personnel can perform at a high level by following the step-by-step procedures, minimizing human error.
- Accident Prevention & Risk Management: By emphasizing safety warnings and cautions, the guide preemptively mitigates safety risks.
- Improved Training and Maintenance Efficiency: The logical structure and consistent terminology shorten training periods and make it easier to update documentation alongside system updates.
- Enhanced Brand Value: Resolving issues professionally at the customer touchpoint builds trust in the robot service.
“A troubleshooting guide designed to be easy to find, clear to understand, and capable of providing immediate resolution is a core operational asset that guarantees the continuity and safety of robot services.”