Toward an analytical method to evaluate emotional responses in human-computer interaction

Emotion is an important factor in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) that influences users' behavior and satisfaction. Empirical methods are often applied to assess emotional responses evoked from a user interface, but the cost of data collection and analysis is generally high. The adoption of analytical methods is an alternative to the high cost. Although the analytical methods, such as usability, accessibility, and communicability, are widely accepted in the HCI area, there is a lack of evaluation through emotional response. Semiotics is a way to understand what the elements of an interface represent for the user. This paper proposes a method based on semiotics for evaluation of possible emotional responses evoked by presented elements on the interface. This method was applied in a case study and the results were considered consistent when compared to those achieved by empirical methods.