Using event-related potentials to identify user's moods induced by product color stimuli with different attributes

Abstract

Color is an important factor affecting users’ moods. Exploring the effect of product colors on users’ moods is key for improving users’ mood experience. Here, Electroencephalogram (EEG) technology was used to study the relationship between users’ moods and product colors. Participants evaluated color images of electric hand drills, and the effect of color system and hue relationship was studied. The mood perception states were obtained based on the participants’ subjective assessment; the results of time–frequency analysis and event-related potentials (ERPs) based on synchronously collected EEG signals were also obtained. Mood data sets related to product color attributes were obtained through analysis of behavioral data and ERPs data. Results of the behavioral experiment showed that the participants were more sensitive to color system than hue relationship. Warm color systems and identity hue relationships elicited more positive moods; the mood’s directions of participants for neutral color systems, similarity and gray color hue relationships were ambiguous, and reaction times were longer. The results of the time–frequency analysis showed that there were obvious ERPs between 100 and 400 ms after stimuli appeared. The results of the ERPs analysis showed that negative stimuli caused significant changes in the amplitude of components N2 and P3, positive stimuli caused it in the amplitude of P3, and neutral stimuli caused it in the amplitude of N400. The results of our study provide accurate quantitative data that can be used to understand the relationship between users’ moods and product colors; these data will aid future product color design research.