Development and Initial Validation of the Haptic Experience Inventory (HXI)

Abstract

Haptic Experience (HX) encompasses distinct quality criteria specific to haptic inter- actions, yet no standardized instrument exists to measure it. This makes understanding and evaluating HX challenging. This thesis reports on the development and validation of the Haptic Experience Inventory (HXI), a questionnaire measuring HX. An item pool of 50 items is developed through theoretical construction, expert reviews (N=10), and cog- nitive interviews (N=9). These items are then subjected to exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis using data from 591 participants across in-person and online studies, cov- ering vibrotactile, force-feedback, and mid-air devices. Eventually, a 20-item HXI with five dimensions is established: Autotelics, Realism, Involvement, Harmony, and Discord. The HXI converges with theory and shows strong reliability, validity, and measurement invariance, suggesting it is effective across deployed modalities and contexts. The HXI provides empirical evidence about the structure of HX and offers a robust, standardized tool for assessing haptic feedback in research and practice. Ongoing efforts to develop and validate a French version of the HXI are also reported.