Method and report assessing consumer reaction to a stimulus by matching eye position with facial coding

• US 7,930,199 B1
• Filed: 07/21/2006
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sensory Logic Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Sensory Logic Incorporated
• Inventors: Hill, Daniel A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Boswell; Beth V
• Assistant Examiner(s): DELICH, STEPHANIE ZAGARELLA
• Application Number:
  US11/491,535
• Time in Patent Office: 1,733 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7, 705/10, 355/35, 382/117, 382/118
• US Class Current: 705/7.29
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5854 using shape and object relationship
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data

Abstract

A method of reporting consumer reaction to a stimulus and resultant report generated by (i) recording facial expressions and eye positions of a human subject while exposed to a stimulus throughout a time period, (ii) coding recorded facial expressions to emotions, and (iii) reporting recorded eye positions and coded emotions, along with an identification of the stimulus.

Claims

1. A method of reporting consumer reaction to a stimulus, comprising:

(a) receiving a visual recording stored on a computer-readable storage medium of facial expressions and a recording of eye positions of a human subject during a time period of exposure to a business stimulus, the recording having a chronological sequence of recorded facial expressions and a chronological sequence of eye positions of the human subject;

(b) generating, from the recording of eye positions, at least one gaze fixation, each of the at least one gaze fixations relating to an eye position of the subject, a corresponding visual portion of the stimulus, and a corresponding fixation time during the time period;

(c) using a processor executing computer-executable program code to access the computer-readable storage medium and code recorded facial expressions stored thereon to at least one emotion for each fixation time; and

(d) associating an emotion with at least one of the particular gaze fixation and the visual portion of the stimulus corresponding to the particular gaze fixation based on the at least one emotion associated with the fixation time for the particular gaze fixation.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising (i) repeating steps (a) through (d) for a plurality of human subjects with the same stimulus, and (ii) reporting information indicating the percentage of human subjects who exhibited at least one recorded facial expression capable of being coded.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein steps (a) through (d) are repeated for a plurality of consecutive time periods.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the at least one gaze fixations relates to an eye position of the subject remaining fixed on a location for at least 50 milliseconds.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising reporting recorded eye positions comprising superimposing a visual indication of the location of the recorded eye positions upon a depiction of the stimulus.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising reporting recorded eye positions comprising superimposing a visual indication of the density of recorded eye positions upon a depiction of the stimulus.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the time period of exposure to the stimulus lasts for 1 to 10 seconds.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein coding recorded facial expressions is based at least in part upon FACS the Facial Action Coding System.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising reporting:

(a) a visual indication of the eye positions of the human subject while exposed to the stimulus during the time period;

(b) a list of the at least one emotion coded from the facial expressions exhibited by the subject while exposed to the stimulus; and

(c) an identification of the stimulus to which the subject was exposed.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the visual indication of the eye positions comprises superimposing the location of the eye positions upon a depiction of the stimulus.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the visual indication of the eye positions comprises a density of eye positions throughout the time period superimposed upon a depiction of the stimulus.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising reporting at least one emotion and at least one associated visual portion of the stimulus.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein reporting the at least one emotion comprises reporting a tally of coded emotions as a percentage of each coded emotion relative to all coded emotions.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein (i) coding recorded facial expressions to at least one emotion in act (c) comprises coding recorded facial expressions to positive and negative emotions, and (ii) reporting the at least one emotion comprises reporting at least one of (−

) the percentage of all coded emotions comprising positive emotions, (−

) the percentage of all coded emotions comprising negative emotions, and (−

) an average of positive and negative coded emotions.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein coding recorded facial expressions in act (c) comprises coding recorded facial expressions to at least one action unit for each fixation time, wherein at least one of the at least one action units for each fixation time is translated to a plurality of weighted emotions.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising reporting a plurality of weighted emotions and at least one associated visual portion of the stimulus.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein coding recorded facial expressions in act (c) comprises coding recorded facial expressions to at least a first plurality of weighted emotions for each fixation time.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising reporting a plurality of emotions and at least one associated visual portion of the stimulus.