Usability

Neurological research provides crucial insight into customer experience from an emotional perspective

London, UK, 19 December 2008 – Foviance, the expert in customer experience, has launched a pioneering new method of measuring customer experience for ecommerce and gaming website visitors. Electroencephalography (EEG) research provides the means to gather detailed information on a user’s emotional relationship to a brand or service.

Neuropsychologists have shown that 85% of decision making happens at a subconscious level. Foviance has also tested and proven emotionally engaging websites to provide higher commercial returns.

EEG involves measuring electrical activity in different parts of the brain in response to certain stimuli. Once the preserve of the clinical lab, Foviance has pioneered the use of EEG in the assessment of user experiences. By recording reactions at different stages of interaction with a website – with emotions ranging from excitement and anticipation through to anxiety and boredom – Foviance can provide detailed and specific site design recommendations that improve customer conversion.

Foviance customers have already started to benefit from EEG. So far, Foviance has analysed the emotional responses of online poker players, measured response to imagery alternatives on a travel site and identify effective merchandising strategies for an online retailer. EEG can be used to assess emotional response to various types of stimuli and Foviance plans to apply the method to understand the multi-channel user experience. For example, it is possible to gauge people’s emotional engagement while on the phone to a call centre.

Marty Carroll, consultancy director, Foviance said: “We recognise that differentiation in user experience for many brands means moving beyond simple efficiency, performance and functionality, towards connecting with consumers emotionally. We are incredibly excited to be bringing this complex neurological science to the marketing industry for the benefit of businesses and consumers.”

EEG on PKR gaming research

PKR is an online poker playing site that uses advanced gaming technology to provide 2.25 million subscribers with personal, involving and highly entertaining poker games. Foviance and PKR used EEG to measure players’ visceral responses to different stages of gameplay and gameplay outcomes. Foviance research revealed that for the novice player, PKR offered much higher levels of emotional engagement compared to competitors’ sites. Foviance was also able to identify the peaks and troughs in concentration, the areas that cause confusion for the novice player and the importance of the tutorial stages in engaging customers. Now PKR is also aware of how high levels of concentration and focus on what is happening in some stages of the game mean that the company can optimise cross-marketing and up-selling opportunities during the game.

Simon Prodger, marketing director at PKR Technologies said: “This method of user research helps us understand the all important emotional experience that customers go through when using our site. This is very important to PKR as we aim to provide the most engaging poker experience online. Foviance’s insight has helped us identify how we can harness and develop the unique aspects of PKR’s engaging and immersive approach to online poker to ensure that our customers enjoy the highest quality experience possible.”

Foviance EEG measures factors ranging from cognitive and visual attention to emotional attraction and engagement, revealing the pattern of visceral activity during an experience. It uses an Apprehension/Excitement index to reveal how people respond to specific incidents and allows for comparison with other everyday activity benchmarks.
The service, developed in tandem with Neuroco is available immediately from Foviance.

Press Coverage

econsultancy: EEG: cracking your clients’ sub-conscious
By Marty Carroll, February 19, 2009

Easss.vox.com: Online poker firm engages in scientific inquiry in order to relaunch their site
By easses.vox.com, January 25, 2009

LobsterPoker: Using science to assess Poker player preferences
By Diana Sterling, January 18, 2009

NetImperitive: Guest Comment: Winning minds through cutting edge consumer marketing
By Marty Carroll, Foviance, January 12, 2009

GamblingReview: PKR.com Researhes Brain Reactions To Provide Better Service
By Gambling Review, January 9, 2009

UsabilityNews: Online poker company uses Science to assess Player Preferences
By Joanna Bawa, January 8, 2009

DigitalResponseMedia: EEG research ‘could aid internet marketing’
By Digita Response Media, January 8, 2009

ZeroStrategy: New advance in brand relationship
By Zero Strategy, January 7, 2009

SwissPoker: PKR Getting Inside Your Head
By Richard Honegger, January 7, 2009

Online-Casinos.com: Getting inside your head
By Online-Casinos, January 6, 2009

GlobalGold: Foviance: Understanding decisions improves business
By: Global Gold, January 6, 2009

BCS: New Method ‘finds brand emotional relationship’
By BCS, January 6, 2009

4flush.com:  Mind-Blowing To Brain Scannin; What’s PKR Poker Up To Now?
By 4 Flush, January 6, 2009

RecentPoker.com: Online poker company uses science to assess player preferences
By RecentPoker.com,  January 6, 2009

RuffPoker.com: Online poker company used science to assess players
By RuffPoker, January 6, 2009

GamingIntelligence: PKR Turns to Neurology to Understand Player Preferences
By Gaming Intelligence, December 23, 2008

DealerSupport Customers’ emotions to be analysed
By Dealer Support, December 23, 2008

NewMediaAge PKR taps into user emotions with Foviance
By Charlotte McEleny, December 18, 2008

For further information:
Melanie Hesketh / Becky Cheers
Prompt Communications for Foviance
+44 208 996 1638 / +44 208 996 1636
foviance@prompt-communications.com

Foviance is delighted to announce the holding of a Partner User Experience day on the 13th of November in London.
This engaging Partner User Experience day will show how specific methods and techniques can be used to enhance client’s business objectives.

With a wealth of knowledge into human-computer interaction, psychology, technology and usability, Foviance will show how these tools can be applied to real-world solutions and how they can best serve clients.

Usability Tank : Blog Posted by Lara at 11/21/2008

Skype was keen to explore the ease of use, first impressions and intuitiveness of its internet telephony software.

We carried out a usability audit and evaluation of Skype’s software around the world and, following our expert review and user profiling, Skype has become a global phenomenon, winning numerous awards of innovation and ease of use.

WebAbacus, the technology arm of digital customer experience expert Foviance, today announces the launch of WebAbacus 6.0, a web analytics tool that sets industry firsts for its graphical and visual capabilities.The company has incorporated hundreds of interface improvements into the new upgrade, based on usability reviews and user feedback. Visual presentation is more intuitive and enables brands to create bespoke reports, analyse specific activity and compare activity across different channels.

WebAbacus 6.0 features funnel reporting, which allows brands to map out process flows and identify the ‘pain points’ for their website users. The reports show how visitors arrive at each stage, how many click-through and where they leave.

A key feature of the upgrade is the ability for companies to reference historical data that enables them to analyse and refine all of their marketing touch points for different customer groups. Rather than simply using the ‘last click’ methodology, WebAbacus allows users to dynamically use the ‘last’, ‘first’ or all touch points that a customer has been exposed to before making a transaction or other interaction.

WebAbacus’ Single-Click analytics engine, allows users to easily interrogate their data. Real-time analysis of comparative trends and side-by-side segmentation, allows users to gain real insight without in-depth analytical experience.

Graphical summary reports show any time-based metric as a comparative or gauge chart and any data can be linked to an existing report for easy access. Users can also generate Web 2.0 tag cloud charts to visualise data such as search phrases. Improved interactivity means that charts now can be used directly from the product, avoiding the need to export into another application and reports can be emailed directly from the interface.

WebAbacus 6.0 is available as a free upgrade to existing clients and the company is offering free trials to new customers. The upgrade is simple and downtime should no more than a few minutes.

Epson was keen to get user feedback during the development phase of the interface for a new range of printers. With a very small window available in which to conduct the research, we reacted quickly and organised an agile usability testing event to meet Epson’s tight brief. We managed the entire research process; finding an appropriate venue, setting up testing and interview areas and analysing the results.

We conducted research on sixty participants over a two-day period, using a combination of prototypes, rich media content and detailed interviews. Our expertise in User Centred Design allowed us to process the results more rapidly, delivering accurate, detailed reports for the user interface and product development teams.

Foviance, the expert in online experience management, today announces the appointment of two new usability consultants to its growing team.

All new recruits have a degree (BA or MSc) in a related field, including technical communications, human-computer interaction (HCI) or psychology, and a minimum of two years experience in working with digital products.

Hina Keval has been appointed usability consultant after working on usability projects for a number of companies including IBM, ESRI UK, Vodafone and Nokia. She hopes to specialise in ethnographic research for Foviance.

Xavier Klingenfus additionally joins the usability team after recently completing an MSc degree. He will be focusing on mobile internet research for Foviance.

Foviance, the expert in online customer experience, has collaborated with airline bmi to re-launch the www.flybmi.com website, ensuring it meets the highest standards in usability.

The new bmi website has been designed to fulfil the needs and expectations of the modern traveller, with a view to increasing online booking ratios. This has been achieved by enhancing the content and quality of the site to create an engaging and rewarding user experience.

Foviance took a lead role in this project by working directly with bmi’s customers to objectively establish their needs, and translate them into actionable insights for bmi’s web design team. The testing incorporated feedback from bmi business, leisure and diamond club customers, who are part of the UK’s most generous frequent flyer programme, and are highly valued and experienced travel website users.

During the research phase, a usability audit of the existing bmi website was conducted to identify user expectations, requirements and experiences. Foviance usability consultants then looked at partner sales sites to understand any issues with the customer’s journey, before working with bmi to complete a full usability evaluation of the new website prototype. This guaranteed that all recommendations had been fully implemented.

Christopher Wood, senior manager e-marketing for bmi, comments: “The bmi website is the favoured channel to both research and book a flight for the majority of our customers, and so it is imperative that their user experience is first class. Foviance are recognised as the usability experts in the UK, and their track record of working with top travel brands means we are confident in their abilities and understanding of both our product and the marketplace.”

Marty Carroll, director of consulting at Foviance, adds: “Those that only consider their user’s experience at the end of the website design process are simply throwing their money away. Usability and user experience are the foundations for any website and bmi had the foresight to bring us in at the start of their development process, meaning we can constantly assess the bmi site’s effectiveness from the consumer’s perspective, with a view to continually improving the user’s online experience.”

Carry out usability research on Barclays’ PINsentry.

Published Generations research for Travolution – how different age groups buy travel.