Eye Tracking “Eye tracking follows the eye movements of a person looking at any visual such as a printed ad, an application’s user interface or a page on a website. It is used to analyze the usability and effectiveness of the layout.” “Eye tracking follows the eye movements of a person looking at any visual such as a printed ad, an application’s user interface or a page on a website. It is used to analyze the usability and effectiveness of the layout.” http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0,2542,t=eye+tracking&i=42950,00.asp

Studied reading eye movements Louis Émile Javal, 1879 Studied reading eye movements Louis Emile Javal – Paris 1879 After studying the eye movements of readers without the aid of eye tracking technology, he observed that humans’ eyes do not move continuously across a line of text, but make short rapid movements combined with short, momentary stops. http://eyetrackingupdate.com/2010/01/27/eye-tracking-the-first-half/

Edmund Huey Intrusive contact lens eye tracking device Edmund Huey created an early eye tracking device using a sort of contact lens with a hole in the middle. The lens had a very thin aluminum pointer that moved where the eye moved, pointing to what the individual was looking at. http://eyetrackingupdate.com/2010/01/27/eye-tracking-the-first-half/

Charles Judd and Guy Buswell Created an eye movement camera and used stop-motion observation Used Judd’s camera to analyze eye movements as a function of age and school grade level Discoveries lead to advancements in the fields of education and literacy Charles Judd and Guy Buswell Judd would develop an eye movement camera that took motion pictures that could be studied in detail by observing each individual frame. Using stop motion observation, Judd performed some of the original studies of eye movements in reading, linking his findings with reading efficiency and comprehension.   a pioneer in experimental educational psychology. Buswell used Judd’s eye movement camera, analyzing the eye movements as a function of age and school grade level. Buswell found variations in fixations and saccades that change with age and learning, and his observations would lead to advancements in the field of education and literacy. http://www.uxbooth.com/blog/a-brief-history-of-eye-tracking/

Ophthalmograph and Metronoscope In 1931, Earl James and Carl Taylor created the Ophthalmograph and Metronoscope, devices used to record the movement of eyes while reading and tools that trained people to read more effectively. Essentially, it was understood that reading was not simply a smooth motion over words just as Louis Javal had suggested. Instead, a reader scans several words, pauses a moment to comprehend them, and then scans again (each scan is called a hop, and each pause is a fixation). The Ophthalmograph was used to measure a readers hops and fixations. Efficient readers would have a steady rhythm of hops and stares. http://www.uxbooth.com/blog/a-brief-history-of-eye-tracking/

Modern Eye Tracking Equipment

1980s Eye tracking used to study marketing for the first time Ads in magazines 1980s - marketing groups really began using eye-tracking to measure the effectiveness of ads in magazines. Eye-tracking was able to determine what parts of a magazine page were seen, which elements of the page were actually read, and how much time was spent on each part. http://www.uxbooth.com/blog/a-brief-history-of-eye-tracking/

1990s Gallup’s eye tracking system used to study NFL games 1990 - Gallup Applied Science’s eye-tracking system was used on NFL analyst Joe Theismann, and on average fans in the viewing of professional football games to determine what parts of the game the typical watcher missed. These devices filmed the user’s eye, and a computer would track where his eye followed the screen. After watching, a cursor marked on the film where the viewers were looking. http://www.uxbooth.com/blog/a-brief-history-of-eye-tracking/

Print vs. Web vs.

Poynter Institute A school dedicated to teaching and inspiring journalists and media leaders. It promotes excellence and integrity in the practice of craft and in the practical leadership of successful businesses. It stands for a journalism that informs citizens and enlightens public discourse. Started a series of eye-tracking studies in 1990 www.poynter.org

Poynter 1990 “Eyes on the News” Study Cooperated with Gallup to study 90 newspaper readers Poynter Institute Eyes on the News, 1990 They worked with the Gallup Organization to eyetrack 90 readers of broadsheet newspapers. Findings: Photos attracted attention. Color photos were viewed as often as black and white. Color was a powerful tool that pulled the eye toward various parts of a page, especially when readers viewed two facing pages.   Eyes followed a common pattern of navigation. The majority of readers entered all pages through the dominant photo or illustration, then traveled to the dominant headline, then to teasers and cutlines, and finally to text. Teasers accompanied by visuals received far more attention than text-only teasers. Two facing pages were viewed as one. When viewing two inside facing pages, readers entered the pages on the right hand side and traveled immediately left. Readers viewed a two-page spread as if it were one single unit. Readers love color. The majority of participants said they read more of the text on a colorful page, though, in fact, many had not. Color also gave readers the illusion that there was more information than appeared on the pages. Images (photos and graphics) were viewed more than text. Photos and artwork were looked at the most, followed by headlines and advertising, then briefs and cutlines. Text was read the least. http://eyetrack.poynter.org/previous.html

Stanford-Poynter Project 1999 Poynter partnered with Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA Studied online news viewing from 34 readers in Chicago and 33 readers in St. Petersburg, Fla. 1999 – Stanford-Poynter Project: The Poynter Institute partnered with Stanford University to look at online news viewing. this study eyetracked 34 readers in Chicago, Ill., at the Chicago Sun-Times, and 33 readers at the St. Petersburg Times in St. Petersburg, Fla. Participants said they read online news at least three times a week. They were asked to bring digital bookmarks with their favorite news Web sites, which were then uploaded so they could browse those sites. Researchers wanted to observe how these frequent Internet news consumers read online.   Online readers viewed text first –- headlines, briefs and cutlines. They then turned to photos and graphics, but sometimes not until they had left the first page and returned after clicking away to a full article. Photos attracted more attention than graphics. Sixty-four percent of photos were viewed for about one-and-a-quarter second, on average. Graphics (other than banner ads) were viewed 22 percent of the time, and received about a second’s attention. Reading was shallow but wide. Participants viewed about 75 percent of most articles they selected to read, a finding consistent with EyeTrack07’s reading depth observations. http://eyetrack.poynter.org/previous.html

Poynter 2003 Poynter and Prof. Laura Ruel, now a professor in the J-School at UNC Studied 46 online readers in San Francisco Poynter 2003 and Laura Ruel, now at the University of North Carolina, this study eyetracked 46 online readers in San Francisco. Each was observed for one hour as their eyes followed mock news Web sites and real multimedia content. The study observed overall patterns of behavior. Readers’ eyes fixated first in the upper left of the page (generally around the site’s flag or logo), then hovered in that area before going left to right. Navigation elements at the top of a home page attracted a lot of attention. Dominant headlines drew the eye first upon entering the page -- especially when they were in the upper left. Larger headlines drew more attention than small. Underlined headlines and visual breaks -- like a line or rule -- discouraged people from looking at items beyond the break. Text, not photographs, was the entry point into home pages. Short paragraphs received twice as much attention as long. Lower parts of the screen -- especially areas one would have to scroll to see -- received modest viewing. The standard one-column story format performed better than multiple column formats. Summary descriptions (extended deck headlines, paragraph length) leading into articles were popular. Ads in the top and left portions of a home page received the most attention, and placement near popular editorial content helped attract eyes to ads. Big ads were viewed more than small. http://eyetrack.poynter.org/previous.html

Poynter EyeTrack07 Most recent eye tracking study by Poynter Philadelphia Denver St Petersburg, Fla. Minneapolis Eyetracking equipment was used to observe participants while they read. Each person wore eyetracking glasses that contained two small cameras -- one that recorded eye movement and another that recorded where the reader looked. These recordings were combined to create a video that showed each participant’s eye movement. The same eyetracking equipment was used for both print and online reading.   The overall objective of the research was to focus on differences and similarities in print and online reading. How do print and online readers navigate through the paper or Web site? Do people behave differently when reading broadsheets and tabloids? Are headlines, photos, teasers, briefs and ads viewed differently? And the big question on everyone’s mind: How much do people read? http://eyetrack.poynter.org/about.html

Findings Reading Depth Methodical – read top to bottom Scanner - view headlines and display elements without reading much text

Findings Largest headline gets most attention Briefs, Teasers Readers were very interested in op-ed pages Photos, Graphics Advertising Bigger is not always better color

Poynter Institute’s Eye Path http://marketoneweb.com/seoisacontactsport/?p=590

People ignore online ads Jakob Nielsen People ignore online ads Jakob Neilsen http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2007/08/eyetracking-shows-web-audience-ignores-ads.html

Google’s Ads