Psychophysiological Responses to Media Interfaces

As advances in digital media technology continue to engage users in myriad ways, a critical question facing researchers of user experience is whether the human mind and body have evolved to meet such technological advancements? We answer this question in our lab by measuring users’ psychophysiological responses (ECG, EEG, EDA, EOG and FEMG) to specific structural features of media interfaces such as interactivity and modality. As users engage interactive media, we measure their real-time physiological responses to careful variations in such stimuli as interactivity levels of news stories, pop-up advertisements, animation, and download speed, and correlate them with psychological responses pertaining to memory and attitudes. New interface features tend to engage the user’s body in interesting new ways (e.g., Nintendo Wii), but they also pose new challenges to psychophysiological measurement (e.g., motion artifacts). We seek to brainstorm ways in which to meet these challenges and design more effective studies.