Emotion Response Analysis (ERA) through EEG

Here at Simple Usability we are excited to announce our brand new Neuromarketing service; Emotional Response Analysis (ERA), using EEG technology. This sophisticated measurement system taps directly into electrical activity arising from the brain, allowing marketers, advertisers, developers and more see the actual emotional impact of their product, promotion or design.

The application of brainwave measurement to the commercial world has been near-unstoppable of late, but its typical cost and often intrusive methodology have held it out of reach for some types of research, until now, that is. Our service compares at just a fraction of the cost of current EEG solutions and boasts a greatly improved experience for the participant, employing the very latest in unobtrusive, wireless hardware.

Why measure brain activity?

Our brains work extremely hard to perceive, process and interpret the millions of inputs they receive from our senses every second. The vast majority of this activity goes on without us being consciously aware of it because we don't need to be, our subconscious expertly deals with the administration for us. However the subconscious isn't just doing the menial work it's where our emotions do the talking and call the shots on up to 95% of our behaviour - it's wearing the trousers. Emotional responses to various stimuli build, converge, conflict and generally all jostle for poll position in dictating what we turn our conscious attention to and what lasting impressions we take away.

Every marketers dream is to speak to this subconscious and make sure it flags their product, in the right light, to the brain's owner on their behalf. If you want your product, packaging, advertising and brand experiences to speak directly to the subconscious emotional brain, then you need to measure these experiences directly.

The electrical brain waves and emotional states we experience in relation to our world and the products we may come across can be measured using Electroencephalography (EEG). Electrical channels are measured from the surface of the scalp and act as a thermometer for what's fighting for dominance inside our brain at any given time. Outputs show us which processes were shouting loudest during these exchanges. Is this advert engaging the viewer? Are they becoming irate with your website? Does this design excite more than the original? These are all questions ERA is uniquely placed to answer, unobtrusively and in real time.

We focus on three key metrics for interpreting your customer's emotional state when encountering your brand:

EEG: Excitement (long & short term)

This relates to psychophysical arousal with a positive value, much the same as is related to heart rate increase, pupil dilation and sweat gland stimulation. This can be measured in two ways; tied to specific events (short term), or indicative of a more stable emotional state (long term).
EEG: Engagement

Having a smooth and non-eventful experience isn't going to be enough to embed memory of your product in the minds of consumers, for this you need genuine engagement, meaningful (not just passive) interaction. This measure relates to stimulation and interest and can indicate periods of concentration or novel experiences that recruit more mental resources to process.
EEG: Frustration

Having a gauge of your customers' levels of frustration when engaging with your product or service is invaluable in guarding against those negative states and experiences that will devalue your brand and stick stubbornly in long term memory. This measure can often correlate with anger, giving you a useful yardstick to avoid potential pitfalls.

Balancing optimal engagement and excitement whilst minimising frustration is a veritable tight rope act, we use these tools to give you insider knowledge on what makes the most persuasive message to your audience at a given point in time.

How can you use EEG in your research

The list of potential applications for EEG measurement is practically endless. But to give you an idea of how this methodology might inform your business here are a few research questions it can address;