Schlesinger Adds Affectiva Facial Coding to Qual Offer

US-based fieldwork group Schlesinger Associates has integrated Affectiva's Affdex Discovery facial coding tool into its portfolio of qualitative services, having itself helped to adapt the tool for moderator use in focus groups.

Affdex Discovery, launched by emotion measurement specialist Affectiva earlier this month, enables researchers to measure non-verbal emotional engagement responses to video stimuli, revealed through facial expression. During a qualitative session, emotion traces are captured in real-time via a webcam, and reported back to a moderator console, with post-session analysis also available via interactive dashboards.

Schlesinger has since collaborated with Affectiva to help adapt the tool for moderator use in focus groups and depth Interviews. Anne Hedde, EVP of online data collection arm Schlesinger Interactive, comments: 'We sought a partner to develop a solution for our insight clients and moderators which could quickly and effectively gauge respondent emotions in a non-invasive and cost-effective way. Affectiva's proven success and experience in quantitative facial coding, along with our applica¬tion knowledge in qualitative settings, has created a powerful combination for enhancing the value of research during focus groups and IDIs.'

Web sites: www.schesingerassociates.com and www.affectiva.com .