The World Wide Web (Web) is changing. The much vaunted Web 2.0 sees once static pages evolving into hybrid applications. Content that was once simple is now becoming increasingly complicated due to the many updating components located throughout the page. The information overload and visual complexity of such components is significant. This increased complexity can produce lower performance and higher levels of stress and frustration which negatively effect the user. In previous work we have shown how galvanic skin response (GSR) measurements, collected in tandem with eye-tracking data, can be used as a method for determining how stressed users become when interacting with content. The results of that study demonstrated that when used appropriately, the presence of Web 2.0 content can reduce GSR measurements and be of benefit to users. In this work, the previous study was repeated with twenty-three older Web users to establish if similar patterns of interaction could be established. The results reveal that while older participants made use of dynamic content, unlike previous participants, they were a non-homogenous group with a large variance in the GSR measurements. We assert that a cause of this is hesitancy and therefore developing techniques to reduce hesitancy will benefit older users when interacting with Web 2.0 content.

1. Using Galvanic Skin Response
Measures To Identify Areas of
Frustration for Older Web 2.0 Users
Darren Lunn and Simon Harper

2. Summary
• Web is more complex due to the evolution
from static to dynamic content.
• GSR + Eye Trackingstress for users. of
content that cause
can identify areas
• Age is not how stressed users can become.
identifying
a determining factor for
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3. The Web
• Collection of documents linked together.
• Content is static:
- Images.
- Tables.
- Animations.
• Users passively read content.
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4. Yahoo! (May 2000)
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5. The Web 2.0
• Collection of documents “mashed”
together.
• Application type Widgets:
- Auto Suggest Lists.
- Maps.
• Users actively contribute to the content.
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6. Yahoo! (April 2010)
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7. Yahoo! (April 2010)
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8. Yahoo! (April 2010)
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9. Effect On Users
• Establish if automatically updating
components effects users.
• Are stress levels effected by such
components.
• Do users know how to use the widgets.
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10. Galvanic Skin Response
• Used in the field of biofeedback.
• Measures psychophysical reactions to a
given event. 52600
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Galvanic Skin Response Value
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0
0
0
0
0
20
40
60
80
10
12
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16
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8
0
Time (0.1 Seconds)

11. Eye Tracking
• Captures users’ eye movements.
• Understand how users perceive the Web
page or application.
1
3
2
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12. GSR + Eye Tracking
• Use GSR measurements to capture what
users react to.
• Use Eye Tracking to capture what users
look at. 52600
Look at (1)
Look at (2)
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Typing & Glancing
52500
Galvanic Skin Response Value
52450 Look at (1)
Look at (2)
52400
Press Return (3)
Typing
52350 Typing & Glancing
52300
Look at (2)
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52200
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0
0
0
0
0
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40
60
80
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0

13. Comparison of GSR Graphs
• Each person’s GSR graph is different.
• Not attempting to create a generic GSR
model.
• Identify if similar graph.consistently cause
responses in the
areas
• More responses can be considered as more
stressful.
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14. Four Directed Tasks
• Search for “The University of Manchester”
- Google Search / Suggest
• Search for a train from “Manchester” to
“London”
- National Rail Enquiries Search / Suggest
• Search version had ASLs disabled. Suggest
version had ASLs enabled.
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15. Directed Task Example
Search
Suggest
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16. Two Browsing Tasks
• Lookone the news stories on the page and
find
at
that may be of interest.
- iGoogle
- Yahoo! UK
• Wide range of widgets available to use.
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17. Browsing Task Example
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18. Participants
Sample Size Age
Group
Male Female Combined Mean Std. Dev.
≤29 18 3 21 17.52 2.66
30 - 49 6 2 8 40.88 7.40
50 - 59 4 4 8 52.00 2.33
60 - 69 4 3 7 62.57 2.57
Total 32 12 44
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19. Google Results
• Youngerpages consistently:with the two
Google
users interacted
- Look at the search box.
- Look between search box and auto
suggest list area.
• Disabling the ASL caused significantly more
stress from the GSR readings.
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20. Google Results
• Older users did not interact with the
Google pages consistently
- Used the “UK Pages” radio button.
- Ignored screen and only looked at
keyboard.
- Avoidance of using ASLs.
• No difference in stress between the two
Websites.
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21. Google Results
T Test Between Tasks
Group T p(T≤t)
≤29 4.29 0.0004
30 - 49 0.55 0.60
50 - 59 0.24 0.82
60 - 69 1.77 0.13
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22. National Rail Results
• Younger userspages in lesswith the two
National Rail
interacted
consistently:
- look around the page before typing.
- Type in wrong search box.
- Look between search boxes and auto
suggest list area.
• Disabling the ASL caused significantly more
stress from the GSR readings.
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23. National Rail Results
• Older users did tend to interact with the
National Rail pages consistently
- Looking around the page
- Type and glance at the search box.
• No difference in stress between the two
Websites except for 50 - 59s.
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24. National Rail Results
T Test Between Tasks
Group T p(T≤t)
≤29 2.32 0.03
30 - 49 0.15 0.86
50 - 59 2.73 0.04
60 - 69 1.93 0.102
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25. iGoogle and Yahoo! Results
• Typically two user types:
- Those who fixated on the news story to
complete the task.
- Those who got distracted by lots of
updating regions.
• Not all participants made use of the
widgets.
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26. Experience
• Youngerdue to being very familiar with
expect
users typically knew what to
certain Web pages.
• Older users typically had less experience
and so dealt with the page “as is”.
• Howevercontent.
with the
were competent at interacting
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27. Cautiousness
• Younger users typically went wrong the
computer when things
lay blame on
- “That’s not me. It’s the keyboard!”
• Some things users lay blame on themselves
when
older
went wrong:
- “Oh no! Look at that.”
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28. Abilities
• Younger users typically completed tasks in
similar ways:
- Little talking / discussion
- As fast as possible
• Older users had a wider range of skills:
- Some completed tasks quickly
- Some talked through all the actions
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29. Summary
• Web is more complex due to the evolution
from static to dynamic content.
• GSR + Eye Trackingstress for users. of
content that cause
can identify areas
• Age is not how stressed users can become.
identifying
a determining factor for
27

30. Question?
http://hcw.cs.manchester.ac.uk/