FEEL: a system for frequent event and electrodermal activity labeling

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Wearable Technology

Background:

• Low-cost wearable biophysiological sensors are widely available, enabling continuous physiological monitoring.
• Interpreting longitudinal sensor data requires matching contextual information, which is challenging to recall accurately over time.
• Existing methods for collecting contextual data alongside physiological signals are often insufficient for detailed analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a system architecture and implementation for acquiring, processing, and visualizing biophysiological signals and contextual information.
• To evaluate the effectiveness and usability of this system in a user study.
• To compare annotation performance between users with access to both signal and contextual data versus those with only signal data.

Main Methods:

• Developed a system for collecting and visualizing biophysiological signals (electrodermal activity) and mobile phone-derived contextual information.
• Conducted a user study where participants wore electrodermal activity sensors and annotated their data.
• Implemented two annotation conditions: one with access to both physiological and contextual data, and another with only physiological data.

Main Results:

• The developed system significantly enhances the effectiveness of annotating biophysiological signals compared to current methods.
• Users reported very good usability and user experience with the system.
• Access to contextual information alongside biophysiological signals improved annotation accuracy and efficiency.

Conclusions:

• The presented system effectively addresses the challenge of integrating contextual information with wearable sensor data.
• This approach improves the interpretation of longitudinal biophysiological data by providing necessary context.
• The system offers a user-friendly and effective solution for researchers and individuals monitoring physiological responses.