Eye-Tracking Measures Part I

Eye trackers are just another tool that can help with gathering information and data which could later be useful to solve problems, understand user behaviors, or even help others. There are many ways this acquired data can be used and there are many ways that the data can be measured and we are going to talk about that in this two-part blog.

While eye trackers do not possess the ability to measure reasoning behind actions or explore complex cognitive processes in a user, eye trackers can measure a myriad of key bits of information such as fixation, points of interest, performance, and so much more, which can ultimately give you the answers you need to move forward with your product.

Read more of today’s blog to learn about types of measures, what they mean, the many uses they have, and more.

How To Interpret Eye-Tracking Data?

When interpreting eye-tracking data that you’ve collected from different subjects in your studies, you have to know and understand the tasks that you have given to your users.

Whenever you are performing an eye-tracking study to know more about navigation through your user interface (UI) design, then we can say that you are looking for your subjects to find their way around your UI without getting distracted or stuck in places you don’t need them to. Eye fixation is one of the metrics that many people measure and it can show you where your users are more focused on or if they are naturally looking at the things you want them to see.

Here’s an example:

If you are trying to create a website with the purpose of converting users into core customers by signing up for a newsletter or email list through the contact page, then your ultimate goal is to guide those users to the contact page. Every section of your website where people get fixated that is not the contact page link or button, could be a potential deterrent to your goal. Ultimately, in this case, if you keep your users focused somewhere else on the site, your design might be working against you.

On the other hand, if you have a website that shows images or products for sale, you want people looking at those products. In this case, you are looking for your user to be fixated on the products so they can make the decision to buy. If your design is constantly pulling them away from your main focus, then you know there might be an attraction problem with your product section.

As you can see, both examples focus on user fixation measured by eye trackers. However, fixation is interpreted differently because in one example you want people to give you their information as quickly as possible, and in the other, you want people to focus on your products in order to make the decision to buy.

Types of Eye-Tracking Measures

The types of measures that you can use to answer questions while working with eye trackers can be broken down into two big categories; measures of attraction and measures of performance.

These two types of measures have different approaches and will help you with different problems or questions you may have.

Measures of Attraction

When we talk about measures of attraction, we are considering all aspects of your design or the visual real estate you are putting together in front of your user which ultimately invites them to focus on those areas.

Some questions that you can answer with measurements of attraction are:

Where on my page is the promo more noticeable?
Which design directs people better to reach my goal?
Which design makes people focus the longest on a certain product?
Does the structure of my video/page/image direct the user’s attention towards my product?

Measures of Performance

The measures of performance can help you understand if your users are having an easier time deciphering routes or solving the problem that you placed before them. This measure can be an important data collection study when determining how user-friendly your product or design is.

Measures of performance can help you solve the following questions:

Which design makes it easier for the user to traverse the site and find the right information?
Does the label on the product make it distinguishable? Is it more noticeable than other products or previous iterations of the same product?
Is your new design able to convey the message better than a previous design?
In the case of A/B testing, which iteration of my design makes my customers convert more?

Here’s a graphic to show you examples of how these two measures can work when using eye-tracking technology for UX (user experience):

In Part II of this blog series, we’ll be going deeper into the different types of measures spawning from attraction and performance.

High-Quality Eye-Tracking Systems at Affordable Prices

If you are looking for an eye tracker to start doing research and start answering the questions that are keeping your products or studies behind consider purchasing an eye tracker from Gazepoint! We offer state-of-the-art eye-tracking hardware and software to satisfy your every research and development needs. Check out our store today to purchase one of our eye trackers or if you wish to know how to choose the right eye tracker, click here!

What To Do With Eye-Tracking Data