A new manual introducing the use of algorithm-based facial expression analysis in research has been published for researchers at the University of Helsinki City Centre Campus. The manual is intended for all researchers at the City Centre Campus. The development of the manual was supported by HSSH’s Catalys Grant funding.
The method offers new opportunities for analysing interaction and interview data, for example. It can also be used in research on online work, such as examining users’ facial expressions, depending on the type of video material the researcher has collected and the research questions the data are intended to address.
With the help of the manual, University of Helsinki researchers can independently use the Py-Feat software to analyse videos recorded, for example, in Interlab. Py-Feat enables algorithm-based analysis of facial expressions and can therefore complement researchers’ methodological toolkit, especially when the research focuses on interaction, reactions, or nonverbal communication using video data.
The publication is available on Zenodo:
Juselius, J., Henttonen, P., Wuolio, M., & von Zansen, A. (2026). An addition to researchers’ toolkit: Algorithm-based facial expression analysis in L2 education (v1.0). Zenodo.
Researchers interested in the method can contact Anna von Zansen at