Catriona Campbell wants to get inside your head. Her motives, however, are far from sinister. As founder of customer experience consultancy firm Foviance, she and her team want to measure consumers’ subconscious responses – from anticipation and excitement to boredom and anxiety – to a range of online experiences.

To do that, they are using a technique drawn from neuroscience, electroencephalography (EEG). Research subjects invited to Foviance’s London-based laboratories are fitted with a cap containing sensors that measure electrical activity in the brain as they navigate the websites of Foviance’s clients.