Decision theoretic modeling of affective and cognitive needs for product experience engineering: key issues and a conceptual framework

User experience (UX) design plays a critical role in product experience engineering. To create a theoretical foundation of UX design, it is imperative to develop mathematical and computational models for elicitation, quantification, evaluation and reasoning of affective–cognitive needs that are inherent in the fulfillment of user experience. This paper explores the key research issues for understanding how human users’ subjective experience and affective prediction impact their choice behavior under uncertainty. A conceptual framework is envisioned by extending prospect theory in the field of behavioral economics to the modeling of user experience choice behavior, in which inference of affective influence is enacted through the shape parameters of prospect value functions.     

Emotion recognition from physiological signals using wireless sensors for presence technologies

In this article we describe a new approach to enhance presence technologies. First, we discuss the strong relationship between cognitive processes and emotions and how human physiology is uniquely affected when experiencing each emotion. Secondly, we introduce our prototype multimodal affective user interface. In the remainder of the paper we describe the emotion elicitation experiment we designed and conducted and the algorithms we implemented to analyse the physiological signals associated with emotions. These algorithms can then be used to recognise the affective states of users from physiological data collected via non-invasive technologies. The affective intelligent user interfaces we plan to create will adapt to user affect dynamically in the current context, thus providing enhanced social presence.     

A method for product form design of integrating interactive genetic algorithm with the interval hesitation time and user satisfaction

Due to the continuous release of new products, manufacturers are paying attention to customer-oriented design of products that meet user needs to minimize the risk of their products being rejected by the market. Due to the ambiguity of user cognition, it is difficult to accurately obtain the user's preference for individual productions. To respond to the challenge, we propose an engineering scientific research method of interactive genetic algorithm with the interval arithmetic based on hesitation and fuzzy kano model(FKM) to explore the emotional needs of users for product forms and drive product modeling evolution design. Through expert interviews, the morphological characteristics and perceptual images factors of the products attracting users are investigated. In order to identify the user's satisfaction relationship with the perceptual images, we use FKM to analyze the product image style that meets the user's kansei needs accurately and selects 5 factors which is attractive attributes. Meanwhile, we attempt to transform this 5 factors into evaluation carrier to guide the evolution direction of product styling in HIIF-IGA, and then optimized four electric bikes with scores over 8.8 so that it could realize user demand-driven product evolution design. To handle users' ambiguity, the FAHP method is used to quantify the user's emotional imagery criterion and create a product evolution design system platform, which can automatically generate product styling design scheme in line with user preferences. This experimental results show that the proposed method can help enterprises effectively improve customer satisfaction and reduce the cost and time of product development.     

Understanding Key Antecedents of User Loyalty toward Mobile Messenger Applications: An Integrative View of Emotions and the Dedication-Constraint Model

Given the growth of and competition among mobile messenger applications (MMAs), attracting users’ attention and enhancing their loyalty have become large challenges for MMA service providers. This study provides a theoretical view for understanding the mechanisms that lead to user loyalty toward MMAs. Although emotions and the dedication-constraint model are the two main research disciplines via which the formation of user loyalty has been investigated, few studies have unified these two disciplines. A theoretical model is developed by synthesizing emotional responses and the dedication-constraint model. Based on the ambivalent view of emotions, we examine the exact effects of positive and negative emotions on user loyalty to MMA. Moreover, we identify an encompassing set of antecedents to affective and calculative commitments in the MMA context. A structural equation modeling (SEM) method is used to test the research model based on a sample of 300 KakaoTalk users in South Korea. Our findings reveal that user loyalty to MMAs is jointly shaped by dedication- and constraint-based mechanisms and emotional responses. The findings indicate that affective commitment significantly influences user loyalty, both directly and indirectly, through positive emotions. However, calculative commitment has significant positive effects on positive emotions and user loyalty, but it is also positively related to negative emotions. Perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, and trust significantly influence affective commitment to MMAs, while social norms significantly affect calculative commitment to MMAs. Theoretical and managerial implications and future research directions are subsequently discussed.     

Product design, semantics and emotional response

This paper explores theoretical issues in ergonomics related to semantics and the emotional content of design. The aim is to find answers to the following questions: how to design products triggering "happiness" in one's mind; which product attributes help in the communication of positive emotions; and finally, how to evoke such emotions through a product. In other words, this is an investigation of the "meaning" that could be designed into a product in order to "communicate" with the user at an emotional level. A literature survey of recent design trends, based on selected examples of product designs and semantic applications to design, including the results of recent design awards, was carried out in order to determine the common attributes of their design language. A review of Good Design Award winning products that are said to convey and/or evoke emotions in the users has been done in order to define good design criteria. These criteria have been discussed in relation to user emotional responses and a selection of these has been given as examples.     

Product design,semantics and emotional response

This paper explores theoretical issues in ergonomics related to semantics and the emotional content of design. The aim is to find answers to the following questions: how to design products triggering ‘happiness’ in one's mind; which product attributes help in the communication of positive emotions; and finally, how to evoke such emotions through a product. In other words, this is an investigation of the ‘meaning’ that could be designed into a product in order to ‘communicate’ with the user at an emotional level. A literature survey of recent design trends, based on selected examples of product designs and semantic applications to design, including the results of recent design awards, was carried out in order to determine the common attributes of their design language. A review of Good Design Award winning products that are said to convey and/or evoke emotions in the users has been done in order to define good design criteria. These criteria have been discussed in relation to user emotional responses and a selection of these has been given as examples.     

角色模型的粗集-模糊聚类分析方法

角色分析可以满足产品个性化设计系统中对于用户模型构建的需要。提出了基于粗集的模糊聚类角色分析与模型构建方法,通过构造基于粗集的模糊相似矩阵、确定角色属性的模糊相似聚类分析方法,从用户调研数据中提取典型用户属性特征,构建角色模型。该方法完善了角色分析在产品设计中的应用方法,有助于快速生成概念产品设计模型与方案。     

Mood modeling: accuracy depends on active logging and reflection

Current behavior change systems often demand extremely advanced sensemaking skills, requiring users to interpret personal datasets in order to understand and change behavior. We describe EmotiCal, a system to help people better manage their emotions, that finesses such complex sensemaking by directly recommending specific mood-boosting behaviors to users. This paper first describes how we develop the accurate mood models that underlie these mood-boosting recommendations. We go on to analyze what types of information contribute most to the predictive power of such models, and how we might design systems to reliably collect such predictive information. Our results show that we can derive very accurate mood models with relatively small samples of just 70 users. These models explain 61% of variance by combining: (a) user reflection about the effects of different activities on mood, (b) user explanations of how different activities affect mood, and (c) individual differences. We discuss the implications of these findings for the design of behavior change systems, as well as for theory and practice. Contrary to many recent approaches, our findings argue for the importance of active user reflection rather than passive sensing.     

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.     

提升产品创新设计中用户体验方法的研究

通过对用户体验的概念及用户层的需求进行归纳总结,了解不同层次用户在产品上的需求及期望,提出四种在产品创新设计中提升用户体验的方式。以实际案例进行理解及阐述,将体验设计与产品创新设计相融合,使产品易用的同时,带给用户一种全新的使用方式及体验,以达到直接让用户参与,突出人与产品间的情感体验。     

User values based evaluation model to assess product universality

Unlike the conventional design methodology, the universal design aims to integrate various user groups within the design space to benefit the user of all ages with distinct abilities. The objective of this work is to ensure universality of the designed product with the help of user-values based evaluation model. In the proposed model, users are classified into three groups based on their abilities and needs. This classification analyses the values associated with the individual needs of a different group of users. The universality of the product is analyzed by using the proposed model and accordingly the product can be improved by incorporating the values that have been overlooked by the designer. The frequently neglected values can be identified to modify universal design principles.Relevance to industry.Providing functional and usable products to all sets of users is the most important goal of industry, in today's marketplace. To achieve this goal, universal product design evaluation model has been proposed in this work. With the help of evaluation model, design firms and designers can ensure the universality of the product at an early phase of design and also while redesigning of the existing products.     

创造产品的闪光点——从用户需求到产品设计

产品设计的目的是为了满足用户真正的需求,从用户需求到产品设计的过程是发现问题解决问题的过程。本文通过分析产品设计目标用户(人)的多种需求及吸引用户的产品闪光点,探讨了设计师创造吸引用户的产品闪光点的具体方法,同时指出设计中运用设计方法的方法是在用户具体的需求情境中解决设计问题。     

Affective design of products using an audio-based protocol: Application to eyeglass frame

The measurement and understanding of user emotions elicited by product appearance are critical elements of the product development process. This paper proposes a new emotion measurement method, called Auditory Parameter Method. It is a non-verbal technique that uses auditory stimuli (music samples) and association tests for evaluating a set of products, given by their pictures. From user-tests, it provides an assessment of these products according to a series of emotional dimensions. We present the methodological framework used to build the links between user's emotional responses and geometrical features of the products. The method is described on an application case, an eyeglass frame. Analysis of Variance models are employed to examine how various shape factors influence users' emotional responses. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our protocol, we compare the proposed method with the conventional Semantic Differential using Principal Component Analysis and Generalized Procrustes Analysis. The new protocol demonstrates interesting qualities for collecting the intuitive emotions of users and for providing a discriminant measurement of emotions. It can also be used by designers to stimulate creativity.     

Determination of optimal product styles by ordinal logistic regression versus conjoint analysis for kitchen faucets

In this study, a two-stage integrated approach is proposed and implemented to explore user perceptions about kitchen faucet styles and to find optimal levels of design parameters related to product appearance. At the first stage, a group of representative users have been asked to judge 38 systematically selected different faucet designs by using a semantic differential (SD) scale for 11 image (kansei) words about their visual perceptions. Then the relations between overall preference and kansei word scores of users are investigated by Ordinal Logistic Regression (OLOGREG). The model obtained helps understand how customers describe highly preferred designs. It can also be used to confirm if a product design will be highly preferred. At the second stage, the relations between overall preference scores and design parameter levels related to the product appearance are modeled using again OLOGREG, and then the best design parameter levels for visual perceptions are found by maximizing the overall preference scores. The results are confirmed and discussed. They are also compared to those of a commonly used approach in the literature, Conjoint Analysis (CA). This comparison has showed that the OLOGREG approach is superior to traditional CA. Finally, it is discussed how the product style design optimization approach presented and demonstrated in this study for the case of some kitchen faucets can be used in general for other products.Relevance to industry: Developing a user-centered product is an important policy of an enterprise in today's highly competitive marketplace. To reach this objective, a systematic method is proposed by integrating several techniques. This method will be useful to any industry that designs and produces consumer products. These products more fit the consumer needs and the competitiveness of them are improved.     

浅析产品语义的通俗化

本文对语义学在产品设计中的体现进行了分析,对产品语义的通俗化问题进行了研究,概括了一些有助于产品语义运用的通俗化方法,并在此基础上对产品语义标准库存在的必要性进行了阐述。以期待通过产品语义的通俗化研究,能够使产品与使用者之间的沟通更加的方便,达到人与产品之间的相互协调。     

Analyzing the emotional outcomes of the online search behavior with search engines

The affective component has been acknowledged as critical to understand information search behavior and user-computer interactions. There is a lack of studies that analyze the emotions that the user feels when searching for information about products with search engines. The present study analyzes the emotional outcomes of the online search process, taking into account the user’s (a) perceptions of success and effort exerted on the search process, (b) initial affective state, and (c) emotions felt during the search process. In addition, we identify profiles of online searchers based on the emotional outcomes of the search process, which allow us to differentiate the emotional processes and behavioral patterns that lead to such emotions. The results of the study stress the importance of the affective component of the online search behavior, given that these emotional outcomes are likely to influence all the subsequent actions that users perform on the Web.     

Measuring and adapting behavior during product interaction to influence affect

Sometimes, the way in which we interact with products implicitly communicates how we feel. Based on previous studies on how emotions can be detected and communicated via product interaction, we discuss how an interactive product could influence affect by responding and changing behaviors expressing affect. We discuss the proposal of the affective feedback loop in product interaction by its implementation in the prototype of a pen that senses two implicit behaviors related to restlessness, rock and roll. Furthermore, the pen provides inherent feedback, focusing on the perceptual motor skills, as a means to reflect on these behaviors. The pen was evaluated in an experiment, by which we explored whether this type of feedback would influence the emotional experience. Two participant groups were compared, and participants that used the pen with feedback showed a lower heart rate throughout the whole experiment. Because these participants were not aware that the pen provided any feedback, we propose the concept of unaware interaction and discuss what its implications are for design.     

Affective preference measurement of product appearance based on event-related potentials

The product appearance plays an important role in users’ purchase decision, while the emotions elicited by the product appearance are subtle, low intensity and not easy to obtain. Event-related potentials (ERPs) can reflect people’s psychological activities and effectively identify the characteristics of brain’s affective process. In the present study, the affective preference measurement of humidifier appearance was conducted based on the theory of affective design and event-related potentials. Firstly, the collected humidifier pictures were screened to be the experimental stimuli through multidimensional scaling analysis and cluster analysis. During the affective preference measurement experiment, the participants were asked to judge the affective preference level (liked vs. neutral vs. disliked) of humidifier pictures with the mouse button clicking (left, middle, right), and the electroencephalograph signals were recorded at the same time. ERPs results showed that the frontal and central N1 and frontal, frontal–central and central late positive potential can be taken as the indexes to measure participants’ affective preference of humidifier appearance. In conclusion, the participants’ affective preference level of humidifier appearance can be measured by ERPs. The experiment results can be used to guide product design, by measuring the brain activities of different prototypes at the phase of product development we can roughly infer which one is the user preferred or not preferred.     

The influence of user cognition on consumption decision-making from the perspective of bounded rationality

Consumer decision-making is related to the success or failure of enterprises, and products that cater to the cognitive preferences of users have become a focus of current research. Based on the theory of bounded rationality, this paper explores the cognitive process of consumer decision-making. Then, how product shape affects consumption decision-making is analyzed with eye-tracking technology. Finally, the design principle of the product form is further explored. The results demonstrate the following: (1) the perceptual cognition of users has a driving effect on consumption behavior; (2) as a key factor affecting the perceptual cognition of users, product form affects consumer decision-making by influencing the degree of approach motivation; (3) by establishing the mapping relationship between product form elements and user images, the principles of product form design can be more consistent with user image preferences. This study provides useful suggestions for how to increase the purchase behavior of users from the perspective of bounded rationality.     

Extracting relevance and affect information from physiological text annotation

We present physiological text annotation, which refers to the practice of associating physiological responses to text content in order to infer characteristics of the user information needs and affective responses. Text annotation is a laborious task, and implicit feedback has been studied as a way to collect annotations without requiring any explicit action from the user. Previous work has explored behavioral signals, such as clicks or dwell time to automatically infer annotations, and physiological signals have mostly been explored for image or video content. We report on two experiments in which physiological text annotation is studied first to (1) indicate perceived relevance and then to (2) indicate affective responses of the users. The first experiment tackles the user’s perception of relevance of an information item, which is fundamental towards revealing the user’s information needs. The second experiment is then aimed at revealing the user’s affective responses towards a -relevant- text document. Results show that physiological user signals are associated with relevance and affect. In particular, electrodermal activity was found to be different when users read relevant content than when they read irrelevant content and was found to be lower when reading texts with negative emotional content than when reading texts with neutral content. Together, the experiments show that physiological text annotation can provide valuable implicit inputs for personalized systems. We discuss how our findings help design personalized systems that can annotate digital content using human physiology without the need for any explicit user interaction.