Eye Tracking

Eye tracking is a more technologically sophisticated method of usability testing than a heuristic evaluation. Using a device called an eye tracker, eye tracking measures the user's point of gaze on the computer screen to determine where he or she is looking.

While understanding eye tracking heatmaps requires test subjects to engage in a "think aloud" protocol, we can make some recommendations from raw heatmap data. Eye tracking heatmaps can:

  • Tell whether users are even looking at the screen.
  • Locate where users are looking for information. (This is helpful when trying to decrease support call volumes.)
  • Determine whether users are reading or scanning.
  • Identify which design characteristics are more successful in multivariate testing.
  • Measure the relative intensity of a user's attention to individual regions of a web page.
  • Validate advertising space value. (Even charge a premium with proven results.)
  • Determine whether a user is searching for a specific item.
  • Compare user scan patterns.

Eye tracking can help only in certain situations. In particular, eye tracking helps with:

  • Identifying process bottlenecks and opportunities to improve conversion
  • Improving your layout to highlight calls to action, build advertiser return on investment, and promote stronger brand awareness
  • Measuring the visual appeal of a website
  • Prioritizing website changes by their potential for revenue generation and cost savings.

By analyzing eye tracking heatmaps, we can understand a lot about how people interact with a website.

Eye Tracking Results

Normal Modes uses these results to produce an eye tracking heatmap, which shows how much users looked at different parts of a web page. They provide an objective way to understand what people focus on at your website.

No two websites will have the same heatmap - each is different. Here are some examples of popular websites' heatmaps. What do they tell us about how each is meeting its business objectives and creating a compelling user experience?

Let us help you decide

Unsure about whether eye tracking is right for your situation? Let our seasoned usability team help you decide.

Contact us today for more information about how eye tracking might help your company increase customer satisfaction, while reducing costs and meeting business objectives.