Scaling the smileys: A multicountry investigation
Abstract
Contextual user experience (UX) surveys are brief surveys embedded in a
website or mobile app (Sedley & Müller, 2016). In these surveys, emojis (e.g.,
smiley faces, thumbs, stars), with or without text labels, are often used as
answer scales. Previous investigations in the United States found that
carefully designed smiley faces may distribute fairly evenly along a numerical
scale (0–100) for measuring satisfaction (Sedley, Yang, & Hutchinson, 2017).
The present study investigated the scaling properties and construct meaning
of smiley faces in six countries. We collected open-ended descriptions of
smileys to understand construct interpretations across countries. We also
assessed numeric meaning of a set of five smiley faces on a 0–100 range by
presenting each face independently, as well as in context with other faces with
and without endpoint text labels.
website or mobile app (Sedley & Müller, 2016). In these surveys, emojis (e.g.,
smiley faces, thumbs, stars), with or without text labels, are often used as
answer scales. Previous investigations in the United States found that
carefully designed smiley faces may distribute fairly evenly along a numerical
scale (0–100) for measuring satisfaction (Sedley, Yang, & Hutchinson, 2017).
The present study investigated the scaling properties and construct meaning
of smiley faces in six countries. We collected open-ended descriptions of
smileys to understand construct interpretations across countries. We also
assessed numeric meaning of a set of five smiley faces on a 0–100 range by
presenting each face independently, as well as in context with other faces with
and without endpoint text labels.
Research Areas
