Towards a symmetrical definition of QoE: An Evaluation of Emotion Semantics in Augmented Reality Training

The current definition of quality of experience (QoE) designates delight and annoyance as diametrically opposing indicators of the degree of fulfilment of an application, service or system user’s pragmatic and hedonic needs and expectations. However, these inherited emotion terms are rarely used to describe emotions of equal amounts of arousal or opposing amounts of valence in the literature. This work assesses the significance of this asymmetry to the definition of QoE by determining the utility of emotion terms to communicate the emotion component of QoE. This was done in the context of a QoE evaluation of augmented reality training instruction formats. Correlates were sought between various measures of emotional state. This included physiological ratings, facial expressions and eye gaze. Emotional state was subjectively reported using three distinct methods: self-assessment manikin questionnaire; 2D emotion space terms; and open-ended terms. Regression analysis showed multiple significant correlations between implicit and explicit metrics, but not to the emotion terms used by the participants. This calls into question the utility of such vaguely understood terms. The use of more symmetrically opposing emotions in the definition of QoE may benefit consensual interdisciplinary communication.