Taking the Subjectivity out of UX Evaluation with Emotiv EPOC+

Abstract

Changes in the contemporary business environment are shifting the focus of designers and developers of Information Systems (IS) from a narrow focus on system usability to an overall user experience (UX). The subjective nature of UX meant that the majority of UX evaluation methods are subjective. However, advancements in new technologies now make it possible to evaluate UX objectively by collecting physiological data unobtrusively. In this study we explored the use of the Emotiv EPOC+ headset to collect electro-encephalography (EEG) patterns to 'examine' brain activities to determine the presence or absence of the emotion of anger, as well as 'performance metrics' on engagement, excitement, interest, focus, relaxation, and stress, in order to evaluate UX. The results showed that the Emotiv EPOC+ headset provides a low-cost means of evaluating UX objectively.