Sciencomat: A gamified research platform for evaluating visual attractiveness

Abstract

There are many platforms on the market that support researchers and practitioners to create surveys and market studies. Nevertheless, nearly all of them focus on providing answers to textual questions. In contrast to existing systems this paper presents the concept, prototype, and evaluation of a new mobile platform for quantitative research strictly focusing on images: the SciencOmat. This platform uses pictures to evaluate products, marketing content, and other elements based on their visual attractiveness. Particular emphasis was placed on a high level of usability and user experience. The system integrates methods known from popular online dating applications (e.g., liking/disliking a product by swiping left or right) and also applies gamification elements to further drive user motivation. Next to the application and its evaluation using the User Experience Questionnaire provided by Schrepp et al. we also present the results of two exemplary image data sets.