iMotions launches behavioral biometrics Online Data Collection module

Behavior software provider iMotions has launched a new Online Data Collection module for its behavioral biometrics platform to make the technology available to a wider range of organizations.

The module is built on iMotions’ Desktop Solution, and utilizing a browser interface, it can collect users’ data from facial expression analysis and eye-tracking through a webcam.

The biometric data is then combined with self-report surveys to provide valuable insight into user behavior in real-world scenarios.

“The future of human behavior research isn’t in the lab alone, but in complementing that by measuring and analyzing behavior in natural environments,” explained Peter Hartzbech, iMotions founder and CEO.

According to Hartzbech, the COVID-19 pandemic has created a short-term need for real-world interaction, but has also reinforced the overall need of researchers looking to gain as much understanding as possible about user behavior.

The Online Data Collection module is now available, and provides capabilities for capturing and integrating biometrics, behavioral data and self-reporting from a range of media, from websites to videos. It also offers flexibility for analysis and scale, enabling biometric studies with thousands of participants, and can decrease study turnaround time, the company says.

iMotions has already tested the new Online Data Collection module in both academic and commercial scenarios, respectively with The University of South Florida and Missouri-based market research company Forward Group.

The former saw the deployment of the new tool to complete a biometrics-focused study of Anti-Tobacco message testing for the Florida Department of Health while complying with COVID-19 protocols that prevented in-lab testing.

“Our collaboration with iMotions made it possible for us to transition to online data collection while keeping our research study timeline as planned during COVID-19 lockdowns,” explained Rob Hammond, Director of the Center for Marketing and Sales Innovation at USF.

The deployment of the Online Data Collection module from Forward Group, on the other hand, saw the firm assist a life sciences company to identify and fix visuals that would have hindered its advertising efforts.

“Identifying nonverbal cues from audiences is extremely important when developing and refining creative, and our biosensor-based research revealed several that were not picked up by traditional verbal measures,” explained Greg Deters, Managing Partner at Forward Group.

“Online Data Collection allowed us to gather this insight remotely – a critical feature for anyone who needs to gather data outside of a major population center, including rural locations, or from across the country in a cost-effective way,” he concluded.

iMotion donated multiple thermographic cameras to hospitals and other organizations in Quebec earlier in the pandemic.

Article Topics

behavioral biometrics  |  biometric data  |  biometric software  |  biometrics research  |  data collection  |  expression recognition  |  eye tracking  |  iMotions