Vanshaja Diya Misra | 2025 I.S. Symposium

Name: Vanshaja Diya Misra
Title: Assessing the Emotional Impact of User Interface Design and Virtual Reality Experiences Using Color-Emotion Associations
Majors: Computer Science; Psychology
Minor: Statistical & Data Sciences
Advisors: Claudia Thompson; Asa’d As’ad

This project reflects my interdisciplinary interests in Computer Science and Psychology by examining the emotional impact of technology, specifically user interface (UI) design and virtual reality (VR) environments, using shades of color as a metric. Building on prior research in color psychology, UI/UX design, and immersive VR experiences, the study explores how poorly designed digital interfaces influence emotional states and whether VR can help mitigate negative effects. Participants (N=64) completed a mood color survey before interacting with a journaling app, developed in Expo and React Native, which featured intentionally frustrating design flaws. The survey assessed seven emotions—happiness, sadness, fear, anger, disgust, surprise, and stress—by asking participants to associate each emotion with a color and rate their current feelings on a 1–5 scale. After this digital stressor, participants completed a second survey and were then immersed in either a stressful or peaceful VR environment, followed by a final survey. Results showed that the poor UI significantly decreased happiness and increased anger, stress, and disgust. Exposure to VR helped regulate emotional states, with the peaceful VR environment more effectively reducing stress and fear. Color-emotion associations aligned with existing literature, with lighter shades linked to positive emotions and darker shades associated with negative feelings. Future directions include exploring longer-term effects, broader participant diversity, and adding personalized features. Enhancements such as AI-driven trend detection and supportive feedback could further strengthen the app’s emotional impact and practical application.

Posted in Symposium 2025 on May 1, 2025.