Using event related potentials to identify a user's behavioural intention aroused by product form design

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Traditional methods offer limited insight into user experience driven by product form, particularly anticipated use.
• Investigating the electrophysiological basis of behavioral intention evoked by product design is crucial for understanding user engagement.
• Product form's role in shaping user experience and purchase decisions necessitates advanced analytical approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the neural processes underlying behavioral intention in response to smartphone form designs using electrophysiology.
• To identify specific event-related potentials (ERPs) associated with the arousal of behavioral intention by product form.
• To establish a neurophysiological method for evaluating user experience and product design effectiveness.

Main Methods:

• Utilized event-related potentials (ERPs) to record brain activity while participants viewed various smartphone form designs.
• Participants indicated behavioral intention by clicking a mouse when a design evoked a desire to interact.
• Analyzed ERP components, specifically N300 and late positive potentials (LPPs), in central-parietal, parietal, and occipital regions.

Main Results:

• Smartphone designs eliciting behavioral intention showed enhanced N300 and LPPs in central-parietal, parietal, and occipital brain regions.
• Scalp topography confirmed increased activation in these specific brain areas.
• ERP discrepancies effectively differentiate between the formation or absence of neural correlates of behavioral intention.

Conclusions:

• Electrophysiological measures, particularly ERP amplitudes in specific brain areas, can quantify user experience and product perception.
• This neurophysiological approach provides an objective method for evaluating product designs based on their ability to evoke user behavioral intention.
• Findings offer valuable insights for marketers and designers to identify product forms that resonate with users, serving as a design evaluation indicator.