A recent study that measured the brain activity of people using the Apple Watch suggests that even the most skeptical of users came to like the wearable after some hands-on time with it.
The findings come from “neuromarketing” group eMerite, which connected electroencephalograms to 20 people and studied their reactions as they tried out different functions of Apple’s smartwatch.
According to eMerite‘s study, which it provided to Cult of Mac via e-mail, the features most popular with respondents were the ability to swap out bands, remote camera control via the Apple Watch, and receiving calls on your wrist. That’s in no particular order — we’d hate to think that how the wearable looks has more of an impact than what it does, but we’ve been wrong before.
In addition to the EEG readings, researchers used eye tracking to see where participants were focusing most of their attention. This helped them identify which watch bands were most appealing. The big winner, surprisingly, was the soft pink modern buckle, which scored the highest focus and emotional reactions regardless of gender, according to the report.
The Apple Watch vibrating to announce an incoming call or notification garnered positive reactions at first, when the feature came as a surprise, but the impact wore off when it was no longer surprising, the study says. Siri fared less well due to a language barrier causing misunderstanding of commands (the study took place in the Czech Republic, and Apple Watch does not include a Czech language option).
In general, however, the respondents were more interested in the Apple Watch after having hands-on time with it, and the neurological data suggest that their reactions were, on the whole, positive.
These findings reinforce Apple’s official strategy for the Apple Watch, which heavily emphasizes stopping into an Apple Store to try one on. With wearables such a relatively new market, it may be hard for consumers to visualize how these devices will fit into their lives. And now the science seems to back up what Apple already knew.
