Kathrin Gärtner serves as Head of the Institute for Scientific Methodology and Market Research at the University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt within the Faculty of Business. She maintains an active research profile with multiple ongoing projects extending through 2025. Her research interests span sexual psychology, market research methodology, and psychophysiological measurement techniques. Dr. Gärtner specializes in cultural aspects of sexuality, shame mechanisms, and the application of physiological measurement methods in user experience research. Her work integrates qualitative approaches with psychophysiological data collection including heart rate variability, electrodermal response, and facial expression analysis. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on sexual psychology and cultural taboos, particularly examining bodily fluids and shame mechanisms. She also investigates market research frameworks and the application of traditional UX methods combined with physiological measurements. Her research demonstrates interdisciplinary connections between psychology, market research, and product lifecycle analysis. Dr. Gärtner leads multiple significant research projects including RefurMO (examining professional refurbishment of office furniture), Paradigms for UX research (integrating psychophysiological methods), and investigations into market research knowledge generation. Her work often involves collaborations with researchers across various disciplines. Her research activities include developing measurement paradigms that combine traditional UX methods with psychophysiological techniques, investigating resource conservation through product lifecycle extension, and examining the social distribution of sexual satisfaction using large datasets. She has developed practical applications including an app for recording work activities outside regular hours as part of the NERD project.
