Designing a research tool: A case-study in how design and research can cross-fertilize each other

This paper describes the design of a new device (the emotion slider) for the measurement of emotion while interacting with products. Current tools and techniques are reviewed together with the limitations that the device was designed to address. The theories underpinning the design are exposed. The first experiment with the device is then presented. Participants (N = 39) watched pictures of the IAPS (International Affective Picture System) reporting about the valence of their feelings by operating the device. Correlation between these results and the reference rating of the same picture is high (r = 0.904) supporting the validity of measurements obtained with the emotion slider. Keywords: Emotion; Measurement; Self-Report; Self-Confrontation; Feelings; Moment-To-Moment; Device