What are Psychological Factors?
- Psychological factors are human factor data related to psychological interpretations caused by light, smell, sound, taste, temperature and texture.
- Psychological factors include individual-level processes and meanings that influence mental states.
- The effectiveness of a product or environment can be affected by individual’s reactions to sensory stimuli: smell, light, sound, taste, texture and temperature.
- These factors are known as psychological factors and have more to do with the brain – in terms of the way the stimuli is interpreted and processed - than the body.
- Designers should take into account these factors to improve an users efficiency and/or comfort.
- Appeal to psychological factors can improve users attitude towards and enjoyment of products.
Collecting Psychological Factor Data
- There are four distinct methods to collecting psychological factor data.
Nominal Scale
- Nominal means 'by name' and used in classification or division of objects into discrete groups.
- Each of which is identified with a name e.g. category of cars (e.g. MPVs), and the scale does not provide any measurement within or between categories.
- Nominal scales can be considered names or labels.
- Each of the scales are mutually exclusive (no overlap) categories.
- Nominal scales are very weak, as they do not tell you anything more than that one object is different from another.
Ordinal Scale
- A statistical data type that exists on an arbitrary numerical scale where the exact numerical value has no significance other than to rank a set of data points.
- Deals with the order or position of items such as words, letters, symbols or numbers arranged in a hierarchical order.
- Quantitative assessment cannot be made, only qualitative.
- Order is the key aspect of the ordinal scale.
- Ordinal scales provide good information about the order of choices, such as in a customer satisfaction survey, with options ranging for example from "unsatisfied", to "satisfied" to "very satisfied".
Interval Scale
- Interval data are based on numeric scales in which we know the order and the exact difference between the values.
- Organized into even divisions or intervals, and intervals are of equal size.
- Interval data does not have a “true zero.” For example, there is no such thing as “no temperature”.
- Interval scales give us the order of values and the ability to quantify the difference between each one.
- The most common examples of interval scales are temperature in Celsius (or Fahrenheit or kelvin) on a thermometer or centimeters on a ruler.
- The scales are divided by even intervals and provide quantitative data.
- There can never be "no temperature" or "no size", thus there is no true zero.
Ratio Scale
- A ratio scale allows you to compare differences between numbers.
- Everything about interval data applies to ratio scales, plus ratio scales have a clear definition of zero.
- Ratio scales give us the ultimate–order, interval values, plus the ability to calculate ratios since a “true zero” can be defined.
- Good examples of ratio variables include height, weight, and duration.
- Another example could be, the use of a rating scale of 1-10 to evaluate user responses.
Quantitative Data
- Typically descriptive data used to find out in depth the way people think or feel, and to understand their perception.
- Useful for research at the individual or small (focus) group level.
- For example; interview people about how they experience the temperature in a specific situation (ordinal scale).
Qualitative Data
- Data that can be measured and recorded using numbers.
- Examples include height, shoe size, and fingernail length.
- For example; measure the exact room temperature in a specific situation (interval scale).
Interpretations of Psychological Data
- Interpretations of psychological data can vary a lot depending on the person.
- They are affected by the circumstances of the situation and other factors such as culture and personality.
- Human beings vary psychologically in complex ways.
- Any attempt by designers to classify people into groups merely results in a statement of broad principles that may or may not be relevant to the individual.
- Design reflects every aspect of human experience and data pertaining to what cannot be seen, such as touch, taste, and smell.
- Many psychological data results are often expressions of opinion rather than checkable facts.
Perception
- Perception is the way in which something is regarded, understood or interpreted.
- Perception has an impact on psychological factors data, in relation to accuracy and reliability.
- For example, one person will find a room temperature comfortable while another person will find it uncomfortable, though the temperature is constant.
- Their perceptions are expressions of opinions, and cannot be proven or disproven.