Complex Website Tasks Increase the Expression Anger Measured with FaceReader Online

Abstract

To stand out among the large variations of websites that exist, users should have a good experience. Earlier research found that a good experience influences important user behavior statistics, such as further use of the website. Complexity seems to play a role in the usability of websites and a blockage or delay in reaching the goal leads to negative feelings such as frustration. In this study, FaceReader Online, a tool to measure facial expressions via the internet, was used to measure the effect of the complexity of website design and website tasks on the facial expression anger. Because the expression scores had a low intensity, we calculated a metric for the peak expression. The results indicated that in the more complex tasks the facial expression of anger was higher. These results suggest that the automatically detected facial expression anger could be used to measure usability aspects of a website.