Facial Emotion Analysis (FACE)

What Is Facial Emotion Analysis (FACE)?

Facial coding software is designed to analyse an individual’s facial expressions when engaging with marketing products and communications. According to research by Dr. Paul Ekman, a pioneer in the study of emotions and facial expressions, basic human emotions (happiness/enjoyment, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, disgust and contempt) are innate and shared by everyone. Studying the brief flashes of emotion displayed on the respondent’s face – or “micro-expressions” – reveal a person’s beliefs and their propensity to act or buy. In market research, these micro-expressions can be captured by online facial coding software to provide direct insight into human thoughts and feelings towards a range of static or dynamic stimuli.

The beauty of online facial coding software is it scalable and cost-efficient – respondents can be tested in the comfort of their own homes using just a laptop and webcam. The research technique often goes hand in hand with online eye tracking as they can be run simultaneously, providing powerful insights into the emotions, engagement and attention towards brand and product information. In particular, facial expression analysis is well suited to gauging reactions to advertising, product design and packaging, branding, communication, and new product ideas.