Research Technology (ResTech)

June 25, 2014

An Experiment In Real-Time Emotional Measurement

Beyond Verbal is proud to have conducted the first real-time, implicit emotions study at a market research conference at IIeX in Atlanta.

Leonard Murphy

by Leonard Murphy

Chief Advisor for Insights and Development at Greenbook

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mood

 

 

Editor’s Note: One of the reasons I love putting on the IIeX event series is the chance to experiment with new ideas at every one. At last week’s IIeX in Atlanta we tried a lot of new things (look for a deeper debrief from me next week), but one of the things that stood out was an idea suggested by one of the Gold Sponsors, Beyond Verbal. They are an Israeli start-up that has developed a mobile platform to understand emotional states from voice analysis and they suggested we use the system to understand the “mood”  at IIeX. It seemed like a fun idea, and of course would expose our audience to new technology that might be useful to them, so we gave it a whirl.

The results we’re fun for sure, but it was also illuminating and underscored the value of nonconscious measurement for insights. We were able to validate how attendees felt at critical points during the day: the morning, before lunch, and of course during sessions and these data will help us fine tune the agenda for the next IIeX to ensure we deliver a better experience to attendees, which should also help us grow the event and create even greater impact. The context here was a conference, but the same lesson applies to any company looking to deliver more value to their customers or increase their business.

We can debate the science and process of various nonconscious measurement approaches until the cows come home, but the bottom line is that this type of information has tremendous value. Based on the level of activity I saw from clients interested in Beyond Verbal and every other approaches to move beyond asking questions, obviously many others agree with me.

Caroline Winnett and Nicole Kidd did a write up of their findings over the course of the event, and today’s guest post is that summary. And yes, Beyond Verbal is promoting themselves a bit more than I usually allow here on the blog, but they earned it by helping to make the event “walk the talk” of innovation even more than normal. I think you’ll find the results interesting, and if you want to know more connect with the Beyond Verbal folks using the info below.

By the way, if you want to judge for yourself what the mood at IieX was, we have 47 five minute interviews with global leaders available for your perusal: http://www.insightinnovation.org/studio-interviews-at-iiex-na-2014/. They are a great synopsis of how folks were feeling during the event, and of course are chock full of inspiring ideas and great information.

 

By Caroline Winnett & Nicole Kidd

It’s not what you say…it’s how you say it.

Beyond Verbal is proud to have conducted the first real-time, implicit emotions study at a market research conference at IIeX in Atlanta. We measured over 1500 voice segments, and almost three hours of recordings during the three days of the event. Using our iOS app, Moodies, we collected voice samples from attendees all throughout the event. The Mood of IIeX study included 11 mood groups using a compressed and summarized output of our cloud-based mood engine that outputs more than 400 mood variants. We asked people to talk about their experience at the event without prompting them for a specific response, to elicit an unprimed and unfiltered expression of their in-the-moment moods at IIeX.

It was emotional!

The results were updated each minute and available at moodofiiex.com for a real-time display of attendees’ moods at the conference as these changed over time. Overall, IIeX attendees were in an enthusiastic and creative mood.

The 11 moods are divided into Depressive, Embracive and Aggressive categories:

Depressive
sad
fatigued
anxious
practical

Embracive
friendly
happy
creative
enthusiastic

Aggressive
dominant
critical
angry

Study highlights:

  • The highest emotions at the event were enthusiastic and creative
  • Fatigued and anxious dropped as the day progressed
  • Angry peaked just before lunch
  • Day 2 was most enthusiastic
  • Embracive emotions (friendly, happy, creative, enthusiastic) peaked Day 2 at lunchtime (noon), with nearly 80% of the segments exhibiting these emotions.

Compared to the overall mood of the US and the world during the same time, IIeX was more happy and enthusiastic, and less fatigued and anxious.

iiexvstheworlde

Thanks to the IIeX staff for helping to create what we hope will be the first of many real-time emotions studies at conferences. Measuring the mood of the attendees, the speakers, and the staff can provide in-the-moment insight into the pulse and impact of an event or conference.

At Beyond Verbal we do mood measurement all day long. Visit our website to find out more about how we are creating the world’s largest database of human moods based on the emotions in our vocal tones. Download Moodies and lend your voice to the study of human emotion!

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behavioral science

Disclaimer

The views, opinions, data, and methodologies expressed above are those of the contributor(s) and do not necessarily reflect or represent the official policies, positions, or beliefs of Greenbook.

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