NeuroFocus Reveals "Best Practices" to Communicate to Consumers on TV and Computer Screens
They number in the billions now: the sheer amount of televisions, computers, PDAs, MP3s, smart phones and the multitude of other display devices that increasingly populate––some would say dominate––our lives.
But it´s the content on them that counts.
Now NeuroFocus, Inc., the world´s leading firm in the rapidly–emerging field of neuromarketing, has developed a series of guidelines designed to make on–screen messages the most effective they can be. According to the company´s founder and CEO, Dr. A. K. Pradeep, who is a featured speaker at this week´s AGB Nielsen Media Research Television Audience Measurement Workshop in Athens, Greece, the findings are clear and indisputable because they are based upon measuring consumers´ actual brainwave responses and eye motion.
"The human brain is the most amazing processor of information that exists, and the most challenging to understand in terms of how it treats information streaming into the visual cortex," said Dr. Pradeep. "But now, thanks to the advances that have been made in neuroscience, we´ve gained new insights into how people perceive and process images. That knowledge enables us to spell out, in detail, exactly what are the most efficient and effective ways to communicate on a screen. Conversely, now we also know specifically what doesn´t work well, or is even counterproductive."
NeuroFocus has compiled its findings into 67 "best practices" designed to serve as a roadmap for ensuring that visual communications on a screen match what the brain desires to see the most, and what it responds to the best.
NeuroFocus´s findings are broken out into eleven categories, each related to various individual forms of imagery and information that appear on screens:
- Positioning of imagery
- Positioning of semantics and quantitative information
- Positioning of logos and symbols
- Use of pop–out paradigms
- Use and positioning of animation
- Use of occlusion
- Stroop effects
- Use of motion, novelty, error and ambiguity
- Puzzle resolution
- Locus of eye movements on the screen
- Partitioning of screens
"The human brain has clear preferences for what it likes and responds to best in the way of visual imagery, and those preferences are universal," Dr. Pradeep said. "Learning what they are means that your messages will gain viewers´ attention; will be the most likely to engage viewers´ emotions; and will be remembered the best. These three criteria are essential if you want your messages to be the most impactful and effective."
"For example: if you´re showing your company´s logo, it´s critical to know exactly where on the screen is the best place to put it. In this instance, the brain prefers images to be on the left side of the visual field. But we go beyond that basic knowledge to make specific recommendations on how to make the presentation of your logo even more effective," Dr. Pradeep said.
Staffed with Ph.D´s in neuroscience, as well as neurophysiologists and psychometric experts, NeuroFocus employs high density arrays of EEG (electroencephalography) sensors to capture test subjects´ brainwave activity at 2,000 times per second.
This powerful technology is complemented by additional measurement techniques:
- Pixel–level eye movement tracking technology
- GSR (galvanic skin response)
The EEG, eye tracking, and GSR data streams are captured simultaneously, processed and analyzed to determine which individual visual and aural elements contribute to attention, emotional engagement, and memory retention. Additional metrics derived are persuasion, awareness, and novelty. Specific recommendations are drawn from this information, all related to improving and refining the content material or message for maximum impact, likeability, and recall.
About NeuroFocus
Headquartered in Berkeley, CA, NeuroFocus, Inc. is the market leader in bringing the latest advances in neuroscience to the world of advertising, marketing, packaging and product development, the retail shopping experience and the entertainment field. The company leverages academic expertise in neuroscience and marketing from UC Berkeley, MIT, Harvard, and the Hebrew University.
NeuroFocus clients include Fortune 100 companies across several categories, including consumer package goods, food and beverage, financial services, automotive, broadcast and cable television, filmed entertainment, and the retail sector. The Nielsen Company is a strategic investor in NeuroFocus.