We've all experienced getting frustrated at a website's user interface, and many of us (myself included) will probably often start moving our mouse a little differently — things like clicking harder or taking more jagged approaches in moving the pointer.
A team from Bringham Young University in Utah, led by Professor Jeffrey Jenkins, recently conducted a timed online test with test subjects. The test, however, was rigged to frustrate its subjects.
Basically, each page loaded extremely slowly, which took away from the time that was left for the subjects to complete the test and formulate the correct answers. After that, they were penalized for the wrong answers that they gave due to not having enough time, then were told that their intelligence was lower than average.
At the beginning of the test, subjects reportedly moved their mouse at a normal pace and quite slowly, however, as the test continued, they generally started making more jagged movements. Interestingly enough, as people got more frustrated, they tended to also move their mouse a little slower. According to Jenkins, a similar difference in movement is likely for swipes and taps on a mobile device.
The goal is that Web developers will be able to take this information into consideration when developing their websites. Developers could get feedback about how frustrated users are getting because of the site's user interface, using the info to improve how the interface is presented and how it works. Websites themselves could also take this into consideration, essentially changing how they approach a user based on the user's anger level, and thus making the website a "smart website."
"Using this technology, websites will no longer be dumb," said Jenkins in a statement. "Websites can go beyond just presenting information, but they can sense you. They can understand not just what you're providing, but what you're feeling."
It will certainly be interesting to see how websites treat information like this, and it is likely that if websites are able to detect anger, they may soon be able to detect other emotions.
Via: Gizmag
