With four state-of-the-art labs and one in the final stages, Romain College faculty are leveraging the latest in technology to build competencies in business graduates.
The Biometrics and Discovery Lab captures data for decision making, most notably in marketing and research. It features the use of eye-tracking glasses, video that captures changes in facial expressions, and electrodermal sensors that record changes in emotion. Researchers can measure where user's eyes focus on a website, whether whether they can easily find products they are looking for or become frustrated, or whether they prefer products in a certain color. The possibilities really are endless.
Not only are business students gaining experience in biometrics research, the lab capabilities are already making impacts in our community. Dr. Chad Milewicz, Associate Professor of Marketing, Chair of Marketing and Economics, presented at the Board of Advisors fall meeting. A video captured data from a driver to USI and how the user views the traffic signage en route to campus-information that could suggest ways to improve traffic flow and even reduce the numbers of accidents.
In partnership with Romain College, Berry Global's Blue Clover Studios is using the equipment for product research. “Using mobile eye-tracking technology we are able to gain insights into human behavior that can support design decisions," says Jake Freimiller, Marketing Associate at Berry Global. "Through a partnership with USI, we are pushing the boundaries on how this capability is utilized in our full stack of research tools.”