Disentangling User States in QoE: Situation-Dependent and Independent Factors

While current Quality of Experience (QoE) formation models recognize the impact of user states on perception, they often overlook the subjective nuances and individual variations in these experiences. We discuss the integration of both situation-dependent and independent user states, show how dependent states are influenced by varying multimedia content quality, and reflect back into the QoE assessment. To address this gap, we conducted a comprehensive within-subjects lab study (N=92) in a video-telephony setting, employing variables representative of both dependent and independent states, such as affective states, social relationship, sympathy, and bodily needs. Dependent states were assessed per trial and independent states before or after the experiment. Our study investigates two key questions: How does video-telephony call quality influence user-dependent states, and how do both dependent and independent states collectively impact QoE ratings? Our findings reveal a substantial influence of call quality on user emotional states, underscoring the importance of considering these factors in QoE assessments. Moreover, a structural equation model comparison favored the dependent+independent state structure model, highlighting the significant impact of both independent and preceding dependent states on QoE ratings. This research advances QoE models by incorporating a more nuanced mental model of user states, leading to more personalized and accurate multimedia assessment tools, potentially enhancing users’ degree of delight or annoyance and engagement.