Effects of Perceived Usability and Aesthetics on Emotional Responses in Different Contexts of Use

In understanding user experience issues, it is necessary to consider contextual features in user interaction with an application. The present study aims to examine the differences among applications with difference contexts of use (perceived type: interaction styles based on use purposes) in terms of the relationships between user perception (perceived usability and perceived aesthetics) and emotion (valence and arousal). A study was performed using 15 existing websites from various domains. From the responses of participants, the relationships between perceived usability and emotional valence were found to differ according to perceived type, but those between perceived aesthetics and emotional valence were not. On the other hand, sufficient reliability for the arousal items was not secured. Through the meaningful categorization of arousal into two factors (negative and positive), significant differences in the relationships between perceived usability/aesthetics and emotional arousal could be found. Implications of the findings are discussed in the connection of contextual/design features, perceptual characteristics, and emotional responses in the development of interactive applications.     

Understanding the impact of perceived visual aesthetics on user evaluations: An emotional perspective

Studies aimed at predicting user judgments have been dominated by the usability and efficiency perspective. An important assumption of this perspective is that higher order judgments such as quality perception and download intention are mainly cognitive processes. Increasingly, research has shown that this perspective is incapable of fully explaining user judgments. Emerging research posits that emotions and emotional subcomponents that arise from aesthetic-based design factors are at least equally important for understanding how users form higher order judgments such as quality perception and attractiveness. In this article, light is shed on the role of emotions in affecting these judgments. This is performed for the particular case of mobile apps. Specifically, the relationship between various aesthetic subdimensions (classical and expressive) and emotional subcomponents (valence and arousal) is explored. First, an explanatory model from theories of aesthetics, emotions, and visual perception is derived. Second, a laboratory experiment is conducted, and it provides empirical evidence for the relationships between visual aesthetics, emotions, and higher order evaluations such as users' quality perceptions and the intentions to download. Specifically, significant relationships were found between aesthetic subdimensions and valence, whereas arousal was partially significant. Selective emotional subdimensions also significantly impacted quality perceptions, attractiveness, and intention to download. Finally, implications for theory and practice are discussed.     

Understanding User Experience with Computer-Based Applications with Different Use Purposes

The concept of user experience emphasizes the importance of understanding users for applications that have various contextual features. To address this issue, this study examines the changes in the relationships among user satisfaction and users' perceptions of usability and aesthetics according to use situations. For data, an experiment was conducted using 15 existing websites with similar levels of usability and aesthetics. Forty-five engineering students participated in the experiment. The results indicated that the relationships among perceived usability, perceived aesthetics, and user satisfaction could be dependent on how users perceived the use purposes and interaction types of the websites. Specifically, the relationship between perceived usability and user satisfaction was stronger for websites requiring users' goal-directed activities, whereas the relationship between perceived aesthetics and user satisfaction was stronger for the websites mainly providing useful information, regardless of the existence of a specific use goal. Also, the strong relationship between perceived usability and perceived aesthetics was more obvious for websites where users mainly wanted to obtain information than for those where users primarily wanted to use the leisure and relaxation content. The findings can be utilized in the design of websites with different contextual features, especially related to use purposes and interaction types.     

The influence of web aesthetics on customers’ PAD

One key focus of an online retail website is to enhance the consumers’ online shopping behavior. Based on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework and pleasure, arousal, and dominance (PAD) emotional model, we investigated the relationship between consumers’ emotional model and purchase behavior from the perspective of web aesthetics, and how web aesthetics affect their purchase behaviors through the emotional model. Using 441 questionnaire responses and structural equation modeling, we verified that both aesthetic formality and aesthetic appeal influence purchase behaviors through the emotional model. In the emotional model, web aesthetics have significant and positive influences on control, which is composed of behavior control, cognitive control, and decisional control. Control indirectly influences pleasure through the mediations of energetic arousal and tense arousal. Additionally, pleasure and searching on other websites positively influences purchasing behavior. The aim of this study was to provide practical recommendations in the establishment of a pattern of web aesthetics that influence consumers’ emotions.     

Aesthetics and usability of in-vehicle navigation displays

This research evaluates the aesthetics and usability of various in-vehicle electronic navigation map configurations. Study 1 adapted the aesthetics scale (Lavie and Tractinsky, 2004) to accommodate evaluations of map displays. Study 2 examined map displays that vary in the amount of data presented, their abstraction level and color schema, using objective and subjective usability measures. Maps with minimal detail produced best performances and highest evaluations. Abstractions were found to be advantageous when combined with reduced amount of detail and specific color schemas. Moderate abstractions were sufficient for obtaining the desired benefits. The color schema mainly affected the objective measures, pointing to the importance of good contrast between the cursor and the map colors. Study 3 further examined map schemas. Color schemas again had no effect on the perceptions of aesthetics and usability. Overall, similar results and high correlations were found for the perceived aesthetics and usability scales, indicating the connection between perceived aesthetics and usability. Lower correlations were found between the actual usability (performance) and the aesthetics scale. Finally, users’ usability evaluations were not always in line with their actual performance, pointing to the importance of using objective usability measures.     

Applying eco-visualisations of different interface formats to evoke sustainable behaviours towards household water saving

The shortage of water resources is a global issue. This study attempts to utilise eco-visualisation interface design to affect users’ water-usage behaviour. Three interface proposals were designed in this study: numeric, water droplet (abstract symbol), and swimming fish (animated image). These three different interface formats range from abstract to figurative and from neutral to affective. A total of 93 subjects were divided into three groups and randomly performed designated dishwashing tasks twice. One of the tasks was completed without the assistance of any interface, whereas the other involved applying one of the three interface formats with eco-visualisations. In this study, the Self-Assessment Manikin scales, the System Usability Scale, and the Questionnaires for User Interaction Satisfaction were used to measure the emotional dimensions and perceived usability and to record the differences in water usage volume. The results indicated that the emotional valence evoked by the animated image interface was significantly higher than that by the numeric interface. The effect of the numeric interface formats on the subjects focused on emotional arousal, whereas other interfaces emphasised emotional valence. With the aid of the eco-visualisations of interface design, the evoked emotional response and enhanced usability could help improve sustainable behaviours towards water saving.     

Emotional design in multimedia learning: Differentiation on relevant design features and their effects on emotions and learning

Previous research into multimedia learning has mainly focused on cognitive factors to investigate different instructional conditions and design principles. Emotional factors have so far been widely neglected. However, recent studies showed that the emotional design of multimedia learning material can evoke positive emotions in learners that in turn facilitate the learning process. Following this lead, our study aims to further explore the potential of an emotional design. We seek to differentiate the current findings by systematically deducing emotionally relevant design features and also taking into account negative emotional states. In order to deduce relevant design features, we adopt concepts from web design. German college students (N = 334) were assigned to one of nine conditions, created by two design factors (classical vs. expressive aesthetics), each with two levels (high vs. low) and a usability factor (high vs. low usability) as well as a control group (no color/gray scale). Unexpectedly, objective differences in aesthetics or usability did not affect learners’ emotional states. However, the perceived aesthetics and usability positively affected the emotional states of the learners. Learners’ emotional states had a minor impact on learning outcomes but a larger impact on learners’ intrinsic motivation, including the motivation to continue working with the material.     

Changes in perceived usability and aesthetics with repetitive use in the first use session

This study examines how repetitive use in a short time period influences perceived usability, aesthetics, and user satisfaction. A mixed design was used, considering usability, aesthetics, and exposure time. Sixty‐four users were tested in a controlled experimental setting. According to the results, the negative effect of low usability on perceived usability and user satisfaction decreased as familiarity with the tasks increased. Also, the negative effect of low aesthetics on perceived usability weakened with repetitive use. These results imply that repetitive use can be an important matter for products with bad designs and promoting repetitive use in a short time period can be an effective strategy to reduce negative user perceptions.     

Showing emotions through movement and symmetry

This paper proposes and explores a minimalist abstract approach to express emotions through movement and symmetry, which intends to minimize the user’s expectations. Emotions are represented in terms of arousal and valence dimensions and they are visually expressed in a simple way through the behaviour and appearance of a series of dynamic horizontal and vertical lines. In particular, the arousal value is expressed through the movement of these lines, while the valence value is expressed through their symmetry. The line movement is controlled by a flocking algorithm which is influenced by the arousal value, while the line symmetry/asymmetry is expressed through their rotation and length. Furthermore, the paper describes a user experiment which investigated whether the arousal and valence expressed by our model are appropriately perceived by the users or not. The results suggest that combinations of movement and symmetry are perceived correctly as particular emotions, that movement and symmetry are perceived as arousal and valence respectively and that they are independent of each other.     

Service robot feature design effects on user perceptions and emotional responses

Service robots have been developed to assist nurses in routine patient services. Prior research has recognized that patient emotional experiences with robots may be as important as robot task performance in terms of user acceptance and assessments of effectiveness. The objective of this study was to understand the effect of different service robot interface features on elderly perceptions and emotional responses in a simulated medicine delivery task. Twenty-four participants sat in a simulated patient room and a service robot delivered a bag of “medicine” to them. Repeated trials were used to present variations on three robot features, including facial configuration, voice messaging and interactivity. Participant heart rate (HR) and galvanic skin response (GSR) were collected. Participant ratings of robot humanness [perceived anthropomorphism (PA)] were collected post-trial along with subjective ratings of arousal (bored–excited) and valence (unhappy–happy) using the self-assessment manikin (SAM) questionnaire. Results indicated the presence of all three types of robot features promoted higher PA, arousal and valence, compared to a control condition (a robot without any of the features). Participant physiological responses varied with events in their interaction with the robot. The three types of features also had different utility for stimulating participant arousal and valence, as well as physiological responses. In general, results indicated that adding anthropomorphic and interactive features to service robots promoted positive emotional responses [increased excitement (GSR) and happiness (HR)] in elderly users. It is expected that results from this study could be used as a basis for developing affective robot interface design guidelines to promote user emotional experiences.     

Affective video content analysis based on multimodal data fusion in heterogeneous networks

In heterogeneous networks, different modalities are coexisting. For example, video sources with certain lengths usually have abundant time-varying audiovisual data. From the users’ perspective, different video segments will trigger different kinds of emotions. In order to better interact with users in heterogeneous networks and improve their user experiences, affective video content analysis to predict users’ emotions is essential. Academically, users’ emotions can be evaluated by arousal and valence values, and fear degree, which provides an approach to quantize the prediction accuracy of the reaction of the audience and users towards videos. In this paper, we propose the multimodal data fusion method for integrating the visual and audio data in order to perform the affective video content analysis. Specifically, to align the visual and audio data, the temporal attention filters are proposed to obtain the time-span features of the entire video segments. Then, by using the two-branch network structure, matched visual and audio features are integrated in the common space. At last, the fused audiovisual feature is employed for the regression and classification subtasks in order to measure the emotional responses of users. Simulation results show that the proposed method can accurately predict the subjective feelings of users towards the video contents, which provides a way to predict users’ preferences and recommend videos according to their own demand.     

Modeling of operators' emotion and task performance in a virtual driving environment

Emotional human–computer interactions are attracting increasing interest with the improvement in the available technology. Through presenting affective stimuli and empathic communication, computer agents are able to adjust to users' emotional states. As a result, users may produce better task performance. Existing studies have mainly focused on the effect of only a few basic emotions, such as happiness and frustration, on human performance. Furthermore, most research explored this issue from the psychological perspective. This paper presents an emotion and performance relation model in the context of vehicle driving. This general emotion–performance model is constructed on an arousal–valence plane and is not limited to basic emotions. Fifteen paid participants took part in two driving simulation experiments that induced 115 pairs of emotion–performance sample. These samples revealed the following: (1) driving performance has a downward U-shaped relationship with both intensities of arousal and valence. It deteriorates at extreme arousal and valence. (2) Optimal driving performance, corresponding to the appropriate emotional state, matches the “sweet spot” phenomenon of the engagement psychology. (3) Arousal and valence are not perfectly independent across the entire 2-D emotion plane. Extreme valence is likely to stimulate a high level of arousal, which, in turn, deteriorates task performance. The emotion–performance relation model proposed in the paper is useful in designing emotion-aware intelligent systems to predict and prevent task performance degradation at an early stage and throughout the human–computer interactions.     

The Impact of Cognitive Style on User Preference Based on Usability and Aesthetics for Computer-Based Systems

Understanding target users is a crucial issue in establishing design and marketing strategies for computer-based applications. To contribute to the comprehension of target users, this study examines the effect of cognitive style (imagers vs. verbalizers) on user preference based on perceived usability and perceived aesthetics through an experiment using four simulated systems with different levels of usability and aesthetics. Forty-two imagers and 31 verbalizers participated in the experiment. The results of the analyses of variance indicated that, before actual use, the effect of the aesthetics factor on user preference was significantly different between imagers and verbalizers but that of the usability factor was not. The difference between imagers and verbalizers with respect to the effect of the aesthetics/usability factor on time performance was not sufficiently demonstrated, nor was the difference between the two cognitive styles with regard to the effect of the aesthetics/usability factor on user preference after actual use. For the combined experimental data of users' responses before and after actual use, the interaction effect between cognitive styles and actual use on user preference was not significant. Some possible reasons for these results and the possibilities of an important role of cognitive style in users' preference making are discussed here. Further studies are necessary to better examine the impact of cognitive style.     

How perceived cognitive needs fulfillment affect consumer attitudes toward the customized product: The moderating role of consumer knowledge

Voluntary participation in adaptive customization (AC) entails consumers’ own mental engagement that evokes perceptions of cognitive needs fulfillment (CNF). This study examined the effect of CNF perceived during the process of AC services on felt emotions and consumer attitudes toward the customized product, and the moderation role of consumer knowledge. A total of 327 Americans participated in an online survey after experiencing AC services at 3 actual retail websites. The results revealed the following: (a) Perceived CNF (competence and autonomy) increased positive felt emotions (pleasure and arousal); (b) out of the two emotions, felt pleasure (not arousal) significantly contributed to positive consumer attitudes toward the customized product; (c) subjective levels of consumer knowledge showed a partial moderating effect in the relationships between CNF and felt emotions, (d) but did not do so in the relationships between felt emotions and consumer attitudes toward the customized product.     

The Effect of a Humanoid Robot’s Emotional Behaviors on Users’ Emotional Responses: Evidence from Pupillometry and Electroencephalography Measures

ABSTRACT

The design of humanoid robots’ emotional behaviors has attracted many scholars’ attention. However, users’ emotional responses to humanoid robots’ emotional behaviors which differ from robots’ traditional behaviors remain well understood. This study aims to investigate the effect of a humanoid robot’s emotional behaviors on users’ emotional responses using subjective reporting, pupillometry, and electroencephalography. Five categories of the humanoid robot’s emotional behaviors expressing joy, fear, neutral, sadness, or anger were designed, selected, and presented to users. Results show that users have a significant positive emotional response to the humanoid robot’s joy behavior and a significant negative emotional response to the humanoid robot’s sadness behavior, indicated by the metrics of reported valence and arousal, pupil diameter, frontal middle relative theta power, and frontal alpha asymmetry score. The results suggest that humanoid robot’s emotional behaviors can evocate users’ significant emotional response. The evocation might relate to the recognition of these emotional behaviors. In addition, the study provides a multimodal physiological method of evaluating users’ emotional responses to the humanoid robot’s emotional behaviors.     

Exploring Preservice Teachers’ Emotional Experiences in an Immersive Virtual Teaching Simulation through Facial Expression Recognition

This study investigated preservice teachers’ emotional experiences while interacting within a virtual scenario-based teacher-training system called Simulation for Teaching Enhancement of Authentic Classroom beHavior Emulator (SimTEACHER). We created three types of interactions (no interaction, unexpected interaction, and expected interaction) within SimTEACHER and examined the influences of the interaction design on preservice teachers’ emotional responses in three aspects: key performance indicators (attention, emotional engagement, and sentiment), emotional valence (positive, neutral, and negative), and four basic emotions (joy, sadness, fear, and anger). Fourteen preservice teachers from a 4-year public university in southwestern South Korea participated in this study. The data of the participants’ emotional expressions were collected using the Emotient software, which has been widely used for automated facial expression recognition and analysis. A series of one-way repeated-measured Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) indicated that participants experienced higher positive and neutral emotions, higher emotional engagement, and a higher feeling of joy when they engaged in unexpected interactions than when they engaged in expected interactions or no interactions.     

Usability,quality, value and e-learning continuance decisions

Previous research suggests that an eventual information technology (IT) success depend on both its initial adoption (acceptance) and subsequent continued usage (continuance). Expectancy disconfirmation theory (EDT) has been successfully used to predict users’ intention to continue using information technologies. This study proposed a decomposed EDT model to examine cognitive beliefs and affect that influence users’ continuance decision in the context of e-learning service. The proposed model extended EDT by decomposing the perceived performance component into usability, quality, and value. Research hypotheses derived from this model are empirically validated using the responses to a survey on e-learning usage among 183 users. The results suggest that users’ continuance intention is determined by satisfaction, which in turn is jointly determined by perceived usability, perceived quality, perceived value, and usability disconfirmation.     

A Multimodal Measurement Method of Users’ Emotional Experiences Shopping Online

Emotions play an important role in the design of e‐commerce websites. A website should satisfy its users’ emotional needs. Emotion measurement is a prerequisite to understanding users’ emotional needs; because emotions contain complicated components, they are difficulty to measure. To interpret users’ emotional experiences while the users are interacting with e‐commerce websites, we propose a multimodal measurement method conjoint using questionnaires, eye tracking, and physiological measures. The effects of various websites on users’ emotions and the relationship between users’ subjective emotional ratings, eye movements, and physiological responses, along with the effects of their emotions on behavior intentions, were analyzed. The results indicate that differences in users’ emotional experiences while shopping on various e‐commerce websites are primarily embodied in subjective emotional ratings and eye movements. There is a correlation between users’ subjective emotional ratings, eye movements, and physiological responses, and to some extent, users’ emotional experiences can affect their behavior intentions.     

Unity enhances product aesthetics and emotion

Although the aesthetic properties of a product are likely associated with users' emotional responses, empirical evidence does not explain how the aesthetic properties of a product evoke an emotional response. This study presents the hypothesis that users' emotions are evoked when they observe an aesthetically pleasing product with unity. The results implied that a product form with more unity had a greater likelihood of affecting users' positive emotions compared with those with less unity, and that the unity aesthetic may act as a mediator in evoking emotion. In addition, the results confirmed that products composed of curvier elements tended to evoke a stronger pleasure response compared with those defined by straight lines. A systematic approach, namely the decision tree method, acts as a unity design guideline for the enhancement of product aesthetics, which may evoke users’ pleasure responses further.Relevance to industryOur findings imply that a product form with more unity had a greater likelihood of affecting users’ positive emotions compared with those with less unity. In addition, a systematic approach, namely the decision tree method, acts as a unity design guideline for the enhancement of product aesthetics, which may apply for designing products with pleasures.     

DEAR-MULSEMEDIA: Dataset for emotion analysis and recognition in response to multiple sensorial media

Traditionally, emotion recognition is performed in response to stimuli that engage either one (vision: image or hearing: audio) or two (vision and hearing: video) human senses. An immersive environment can be generated by engaging more than two human senses while interacting with multimedia content and is known as MULtiple SEnsorial media (mulsemedia). This study aims to create a new dataset of multimodal physiological signals to recognize emotions in response to such content. To this end, four multimedia clips are selected and synchronized with fan, heater, olfaction dispenser, and haptic vest to augment cold air, hot air, olfaction, and haptic effects respectively. Furthermore, physiological responses including electroencephalography (EEG), galvanic skin response (GSR), and photoplethysmography (PPG) are observed to analyze human emotional responses while experiencing mulsemedia content. A t-test applied using arousal and valence scores show that engaging more than two human senses evokes significantly different emotions. Statistical tests on EEG, GSR, and PPG responses also show a significant difference between multimedia and mulsemedia content. Classification accuracy of 85.18% and 76.54% is achieved for valence and arousal, respectively, using K-nearest neighbor classifier and feature-level fusion strategy.