Can You Smell Me Now: Towards a Remote Olfactory Study

ABSTRACT

The sense of smell-olfaction involves the natural processing of ambient information in real-time. This process allows humans to detect danger, identify familiarities, and form lasting memories. During the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers were presented with challenges related to conducting in-person olfactory-based user studies. In this paper, we explore user experience and perception during olfactory-based interactions (OBI). Based upon previous literature, we propose an approach to offer future researchers a methodology for conducting olfactory-based user studies remotely. In particular, we explored a paper prototyping medium as an olfactory display. This experiment demonstrates the remote investigation of a complex sensory functionality during high mental work-load levels while participants (N=12) engage in an online memory game. Furthermore, this work seeks to inspire further discussion of olfactory-based user studies that explore functions related to human moods, memory, and behavior.