Consumer Attention to an Over-the-counter Warning in Four Different Styles of Design

The study consisted of three objectives: (a) to test the relative prominence and conspicuousness of a warning required by US law to be conspicuous; (b) to explore whether or not the conspicuousness of the said warning can be enhanced graphically; and (c) to develop preliminary data for power analysis that would guide decisions related to sample size in future studies. Seventeen subjects viewed four over-the-counter drug packages (each with a different style of warning) along with five other products while wearing an eye tracking device. Four styles of warning were used on the over-the-counter drug packages: no outline and no fill, outline and no fill, no outline and fill, and outline and fill. The surface area and the placement of the warnings were held constant across all four designs and were consistent with those on commercially available products. Collected data were broken into five zones: warning, brand name, strength, product benefit and net weight. Despite the fact that US law requires it to be conspicuous, the tested warning was significantly less noticeable than the brand name (objective one) for all dependent variables analyzed (α = 0.05). No significant difference was indicated for the varied warning designs (objective two). This could be because not much can be done to enhance prominence when constrained to the limited space that is typically used for such warnings or because of the limited sample size. Power calculations suggest that a sample size of nearly 200 subjects would be required to detect a 2.5 s mean difference at 80% confidence (objective three)

Awareness and use of nutrition information on food packages among consumers in Maseru (Lesotho)

Food product labelling has become a popular policy tool, particularly with respect to the provision of nutrition and health information. Nutrition labelling is a valuable tool  in learning how to apply nutrition information in a practical way. Nutrition  information on food labels can help consumers to choose healthier food. For  companies competing in the global food and beverage marketplace, understanding local consumer attitudes and purchase behaviour regarding healthy foods, nutrition, and labelling is critically important for success. This study attempts to evaluate the level of knowledge and use of nutrition information on food packages among  consumers in Maseru, Lesotho. A structured questionnaire, covering aspects of knowledge and use of food labels and nutrition information, was used to collect information from two hundred and sixty consumers. The study also included  open-ended questions on what consumers expected to be on the food label, what  they understand by nutrition information, what its importance is, and if they think it  should be included on the food package labels and why. The findings indicate that  the main demographic features of the participants were: 67.3% female, 59.6%  married, 55.9% completed primary, middle or high school, and 68.4% were poor.  Majority (71.2%) of the participants claimed that they use a shopping list. Less  than half of the participants (40.5%) indicated that nutrition information on food  labels, rather than price, taste, appearance, habit, convenience, or brand name, wastheir main motivator to purchase foods. With regard to food label and nutrition  information knowledge, a majority of the participants said they knew about them (59.6% for food label knowledge, and 69.2% for nutrition information knowledge). The same trend has been observed with respect to use of nutrition information on food labels when shopping, where 63.8% claimed that they utilise that knowledge when shopping. For the lowest income group, food price was the major determining factor of the types of foods they buy. A positive relationship between age of  participants and nutrition information knowledge was observed. It was noted that as the level of education increased, the level of knowledge about food label increased. The level and use of nutrition knowledge when purchasing foods increased with age, education level and family income. Answers to the open-ended questions showed high degree of awareness about nutrition information on food labels, and why it is important to utilise that information.Key words: Consumers, Food packages, Nutrition informatio

Visual assessment on product label design criteria through eye tracking

Product label is a printed product information displayed on the product packaging. The product label designs are the combination of text and image elements. The process of designing a product label is complicated as there are various types of text and images involved. Product label designs that are less attractive wouldl affect purchasing choices. The purpose of this study is to identify the design criterias of texts and images to help consumer in their purchase selection. The study focuses on the visual assessment through eye tracking method on food and beverage product label. The eye movement observation method conducted using eye tracker device to track 6 parameters of eye movements on the product label during purchasing selection and determine 7 main text and image design criterias for food and beverage product label. The consumers were selected among university students. The study has found that the purchase selection of bread and mineral water product from the food and beverage product category are the most difficult. There are similarities in eye tracking parameters on product label visual assessment during purchasing choices. The similarities of text and image design criteria on food and beverage products label include i) shape text: uppercase and lowercase, ii) type family text: sanserif, iii) width text: condensed, iv) slope text: roman, v) weight text: bold and vi) nature image: illustration

To See or Not to See: Do Front of Pack Nutrition Labels Affect Attention to Overall Nutrition Information?

Citation: Bix, L., Sundar, R. P., Bello, N. M., Peltier, C., Weatherspoon, L. J., & Becker, M. W. (2015). To See or Not to See: Do Front of Pack Nutrition Labels Affect Attention to Overall Nutrition Information? Plos One, 10(10), 20. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0139732Background Front of pack (FOP) nutrition labels are concise labels located on the front of food packages that provide truncated nutrition information. These labels are rapidly gaining prominence worldwide, presumably because they attract attention and their simplified formats enable rapid comparisons of nutritional value. Methods Eye tracking was conducted as US consumers interacted with actual packages with and without FOP labels to (1) assess if the presence of an FOP label increases attention to nutrition information when viewers are not specifically tasked with nutrition-related goals; and (2) study the effect of FOP presence on consumer use of more comprehensive, traditional nutrition information presented in the Nutritional Facts Panel (NFP), a mandatory label for most packaged foods in the US. Results Our results indicate that colored FOP labels enhanced the probability that any nutrition information was attended, and resulted in faster detection and longer viewing of nutrition information. However, for cereal packages, these benefits were at the expense of attention to the more comprehensive NFP. Our results are consistent with a potential short cut effect of FOP labels, such that if an FOP was present, participants spent less time attending the more comprehensive NFP. For crackers, FOP labels increased time spent attending to nutrition information, but we found no evidence that their presence reduced the time spent on the nutrition information in the NFP. Conclusions The finding that FOP labels increased attention to overall nutrition information by people who did not have an explicit nutritional goal suggests that these labels may have an advantage in conveying nutrition information to a wide segment of the population. However, for some food types this benefit may come with a short-cut effect; that is, decreased attention to more comprehensive nutrition information. These results have implications for policy and warrant further research into the mechanisms by which FOP labels impact use of nutrition information by consumers for different foods

THE EFFECTS OF ALTERNATE-LINE SHADING ON VISUAL SEARCH IN GRID-BASED GRAPHIC DESIGNS

Objective: The goal of this research was to determine whether alternate-line shading (zebra-striping) of grid-based displays affects the strategy (i.e., “visual flow”) and efficiency of serial search. Background: Grids, matrices, and tables are commonly used to organize information. A number of design techniques and psychological principles are relevant to how viewers’ eyes can be guided through such visual works. One common technique for grids, “zebra-striping,” is intended to guide eyes through the design, or “create visual flow” by alternating shaded and unshaded rows or columns. Method: 13 participants completed a visual serial search task. The target was embedded in a grid that had 1) no shading, 2) shading of alternating rows, or 3) shading of alternating columns. Response times and error rates were analyzed to determine search strategy and efficiency. Results: Our analysis found evidence supporting a weak effect of shading on search strategy. The direction of shading had an impact on which parts of the grid were responded to most rapidly. However, a left-to-right reading bias and middle-to-outside edge effect were also found. Overall performance was reliably better when the grid had no shading. Exploratory analyses suggest individual differences may be a factor. Conclusion: Shading seems to create visual flow that is relatively weak compared to search strategies related to the edge effect or left-to-right reading biases. In general, however, the presence of any type of shading reduced search performance. Application: Designers creating a grid-based display should not automatically assume that shading will change viewers search strategies. Furthermore, although strategic shading may be useful for tasks other than that studied here, our current data indicate that shading can actually be detrimental to visual search for complex (i.e., conjunctive) targets

Campaigns to combat Aedes aegypti in the Amazon region: an analysis of visual attention with the use of eye tracker

In addition to two important endemic diseases present in Brazil (dengue and chikungunya), the country has faced in recent years another problem linked to the mosquito Aedes aegypti: the Zika virus and one of its consequences, microcephaly. In this scenario, despite its many challenges, risk communication emerges as a key strategy to assist in the fight against these diseases. This article aims to analyze how campaigns advertised in the Amazon region to combat the Aedes aegypti mosquito are perceived by individuals. To do so, it was observed, with the aid of eye tracker, how elements of the campaign, such as the title, images, and texts, besides the identification of the advertisers, were able to attract the visual attention of the participants. The main results show that the saliency of the elements, associated with their disposition in the campaign, were able to modulate the visual attention of the participants, evidencing that (i) the eye tracking methodology was pertinent to the studies of risk communication and (ii) there are bottlenecks in the planning process for these contents, which directly impact the attention given to them.Además de dos importantes enfermedades endémicas presentes en Brasil (dengue y chikungunya), el país ha enfrentado en los últimos años otro problema relacionado al mosquito del Aedes aegypti: el virus Zika y una de sus consecuencias, la microcefalia. En este escenario, aunque hay muchos desafíos, la comunicación de riesgos surge como una estrategia fundamental para ayudar en la lucha contra estas enfermedades. Este trabajo tiene el propósito de analizar cómo las campañas para combatir el mosquito Aedes aegypti difundidas en la región amazónica son percibidas por los individuos. Para ese propósito se observó, con la ayuda del eye tracker, cómo algunos elementos de la campaña, como el título del anuncio, imágenes y textos, además de la identificación de los anunciantes, fueron capaces de atraer la atención visual de los participantes. Los resultados principales demuestran que el destaque de los elementos, asociado a su forma de disposición en la campaña, había sido capaz de modular la atención visual de los participantes, evidenciando que (i) la metodología del eye tracking se mostró pertinente para los estudios de la comunicación de riesgo y (ii) hay obstáculos en el planeamiento de este contenido que impactan directamente en la atención dada a la campaña.Além de duas importantes doenças endêmicas presentes no Brasil (dengue e chikungunya), o país tem enfrentado nos últimos anos outro problema atrelado ao mosquito Aedes aegypti: o Zika vírus e uma de suas consequências, a microcefalia. Nesse cenário, embora haja muitos desafios, a comunicação de risco emerge enquanto estratégia fundamental para auxiliar no combate a essas doenças. Este trabalho tem o objetivo de analisar como as campanhas de combate ao mosquito Aedes aegypti veiculadas na região amazônica são percebidas pelos indivíduos. Para tanto, observou-se, com o auxílio do equipamento de rastreamento ocular eye tracker, de que modo alguns elementos da campanha, como título do anúncio, imagens e textos, além da identificação dos anunciantes, foram capazes de atrair a atenção visual dos participantes. Os principais resultados mostram que a saliência dos elementos, associada à sua forma de disposição na campanha, foram capazes de modular a atenção visual dos participantes, evidenciando que (i) a metodologia do eye tracking se mostrou assaz pertinente para os estudos de comunicação de risco e (ii) há gargalos no processo de planejamento desses conteúdos, que impactam diretamente a atenção dada a eles

IAT, consumer behaviour and the moderating role of decision-making style: An empirical study on food products

This article discusses the reasons why the study of consumer preferences requires indirect measures. Particularly, the research is focused on the use of the Implicit Association Test (IAT). The main aim of the present research is to verify the usefulness of the IAT in situation of ambivalent attitudes, such as in the food domain. On the basis of the relationship between interest/motivations and visual attention, the first study explores the effect of implicit associations on consumers’ visual behaviour on food labels. Moreover, the predictive and incremental validities of the IAT over traditional self-report measures on subjects’ intention to buy were tested in the specific field of food purchases, where attitudes can be ambivalent. Finally, the role of preference for intuition or deliberation in the decision-making process as a moderator of the relationship between the IAT score and the intention to buy was assessed. The second and the third studies aim to verify the same moderation pattern in real behavioural choices between tasty/healthy foods and between different food brands. Overall, the results (1) show the effect of implicit (and not explicit) associations on the way in which consumers read the information on food packaging; (2) demonstrate that the IAT enhances the understanding of consumer preference, intention to buy, and choices among different products, especially in domains where attitudes could be ambivalent; and (3) support the moderating role of the decision-making style. Overall, the research supports the employment of the IAT in consumer research

Factors affecting consumer’s healthy-package food consumption intention

Eager of convenience is the natural phenomena of all mankind. Similar pattern has been observed in food related decisions. Owing to the rising trend of individuals towards the consumption of packaged food the transition of disease pattern from acute to chronic has also been noticed. Psychologically, individuals’ intention is the foundation of their actual behavior. Individuals’ intention and actual behavior are correlated with each other, therefore, it is expected that positive strong intention direct towards actual purchase of any object. Furthermore, the research on consumers’ intention towards packaged food in developing and under developing countries are still far behind to figure out the solution on this issue. Therefore, this study has targeted Pakistani consumers to examine their intention towards healthy packaged food consumption. The objective of the study was accomplished with traffic lights symbols, health claims, user friendly food label, subjective norm, self-efficacy, attitude towards food label, five personality traits and intention to consume healthy packaged food. Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior was used as the underpinning theory. For data collection self-administered questionnaire was employed to target MBA students of fourteen universities. The sample size was 537 and technique was systematic random sampling. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the complete model. The traffic lights symbol was having ineffective for Pakistani consumers whereas health claims and user friendly food label indirectly influenced consumers’ intention with the mediation of attitude. In addition to, subjective norm and self-efficacy were having positive significant effect on intention to consume healthy packaged food. Moreover, conscientiousness and agreeableness were supported for moderation effect. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed. Finally, this research provides suggestions for future research

Effects of Food Label Education on Consumers\u27 Sensory Perception and Awareness in Chicken Meat

Recently, sustainability and process-related label claims have gained immense popularity especially for meat products like chicken. Apart from providing consumers with required product information, these labels have an impact on consumer perception and purchase behavior. The objective of this study was to determine whether providing label information affects consumers’ awareness and attitude toward the claims found on chicken products. Additionally, it was analyzed if enhanced label understanding affects consumers’ sensory and quality perceptions along with purchase intent. A total of 110 participants were randomly distributed into 1 of 3 types of education sessions: (1) reading a flyer (passive learning), (2) attending lecture by a professor (passive learning with authoritative effect), and (3) group discussion (active learning). Each participant filled out an awareness survey about 10 label claims commonly shown on chicken products. Participants’ objective label understanding, as well as subjective understanding significantly increased following the educational sessions, regardless of type of education. However, passive learning demonstrated greater potential to induce positive label attitude among participants as opposed to active learning, which actually had a negative impact. Top scorers from this study were chosen as the High Label-Understanding (HLU) group to further compare sensory perception and purchase behavior regarding chicken meat products with respect to their non-educated counterparts, i.e., the control (CNTL) group. High label-understanding was instrumental in participants associating higher quality perception and liking toward labeled samples compared to non-labeled ones. Additionally, this effect varied as a function of type of label claims. It was found that the trust participants vested in the label claims strongly impacted their quality and acceptability ratings. Finally, HLU group looked out for label claims on the chicken products while making purchase decision more than CNTL group. High label-understanding led to an increase in liking and trust toward chicken products with sustainability and process-related label claims. In conclusion, label education positively affects participants’ label understanding and attitude toward label claims, in turn affecting their sensory acceptability and purchase intent. Thus, poultry processors can tap this information to increase acceptability and sales of their respective products