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Modeling the social networking experience objectifying the subjective
Pietro Cipresso1, Silvia Serino, Andrea Gaggioli
1IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milano, Italy. p.cipresso@auxologico.it
Studies in Health Technology and Informatics
|September 8, 2012
Summary
This study introduces a novel method to objectively measure social network site (SNS) user experience by tracking physiological arousal, emotional valence, and attention. This approach uses psychophysiological data to build empirical models of user engagement.
Area of Science:
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Psychophysiology
- Social Media Research
Background:
- Understanding the user experience on social network sites (SNSs) is crucial for platform development and user well-being.
- Previous methods for assessing user experience often rely on subjective self-reports, lacking objective physiological grounding.
- A need exists for quantifiable metrics to capture the dynamic, real-time experience of SNS engagement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate an objective model for measuring the user experience on social network sites (SNSs).
- To quantify user experience by focusing on physiological arousal, emotional valence, and attentional resource allocation.
- To establish a psychophysiological framework for assessing the temporal dynamics of user states during SNS interaction.
Main Methods:
- Defined a model of user experience based on three key dimensions: physiological arousal, emotional valence, and attentional resources.
- Developed a novel psychophysiological approach to collect user data at regular intervals (e.g., every 10 seconds).
- Utilized collected psychophysiological indexes to construct an empirical model of the user experience, subsequently fitted with mathematical models.
Main Results:
- Successfully collected psychophysiological data (arousal, valence, attention) during SNS use.
- Developed an empirical curve representing the user experience based on the collected data.
- Demonstrated the feasibility of fitting these empirical data using mathematical models for objective experience assessment.
Conclusions:
- The proposed psychophysiological approach offers an objective method for measuring the user experience on social network sites (SNSs).
- This model provides a quantifiable understanding of user states, including arousal, valence, and attention, over time.
- The integration of psychophysiology and mathematical modeling opens new avenues for research in human-computer interaction and digital well-being.
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