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Eye Tracking: What It Is And How It Is Used

Date: 2024-02-20 | Time of reading: 6 minutes (1110 words)

Eye tracking is a technology designed to observe and analyze eye movements.

This process is facilitated by a specialized device known as an eye tracker. A mobile eye tracker, resembling glasses equipped with a camera and sensors, records the nuances of eye movement. It records how the eyes move and determines where the user is looking and how much time their gaze spends in a particular area.

There are two main categories of eye trackers: portable versions, such as glasses, and stationary models that attach to a monitor.

Eye tracker.Tobii eye tracker.

How Eye Tracking Technology Works

When you gaze at something, your eyes don't glide smoothly; instead, they hop from one point to another — these jumps are known as saccades. Occasionally, you pause in particular areas, and this is referred to as fixation. An eye tracker is a tool that gathers information about these eye movements. It then compiles reports and presents them in the form of special maps or graphs.

This technology finds application in diverse fields, including medicine, psychology, and, naturally, marketing.

What Eye Trackers Measure

It's crucial to track how much time people spend looking at different areas of ads. For instance, if only a third of customers notice the main part, it might be necessary to rearrange elements for a greater impact.

The time it takes for a customer to focus on the selling area is also important. If it doesn't happen promptly, try simplifying or even removing some elements for a quicker attention grab.

Another important aspect is how often visitors return to a specific part. If gazes consistently gravitate towards a particular area, surveys combined with eye tracking can help uncover the reason. Perhaps, that specific point is simply confusing your customers.

How Eye Trackers Display Research Results

Heat Map

This type of map makes it simple to identify where someone focuses for a longer duration. Red indicates the areas where attention is most concentrated, while blue or green implies less focus. The cooler the shade of blue or green, the less often the area captures attention. Parts that go unnoticed or those in the peripheral vision are not highlighted.

Heat map.An example of a heat map by Tobii.

“Fog” Map

A “fog” map is a variation of a heat map. Here, the level of attention concentration is shown by the degree of brightness instead of vibrant colors. White areas have captured the user's interest.

Fog map.An example of a “fog” map by Brand-Machine.

Gaze Plot

Here, you can see where and for how long a person looks. Lines depict the gaze trajectory, and dots indicate stopping points. The size of the dots indicates the amount of time spent in that area.

Gaze plotGaze Plot by Tobii.

Why Marketers Use Eye Trackers

Monitoring gaze direction allows marketers to record people's reactions, even when they are not consciously aware of them, ensuring accurate and unbiased research. Surveys might not always provide accurate insights into whether someone is telling the truth.

Using gaze tracking technology, marketers assess every interaction a customer has. Let's explore some common scenarios:

  1. Advertising: Eye trackers analyze advertisements before and after release. For instance, marketers often examine how users respond to landing pages post-launch.

  2. Videos: To produce a top-notch video, marketers assemble a focus group, present them with a preliminary version, and evaluate where the participants direct their gaze. If attention isn't drawn to the intended areas, adjustments are made or scenes are removed before releasing a version aimed at attracting buyers.

  3. Outdoor Advertising: Eye tracking determines which part of a billboard pedestrians focus on. With only a few seconds to grab potential customers' attention, it's crucial to select the right placement for slogans and eliminate distractions that divert attention from the main area.

  4. Mobile Applications: Thanks to eye-tracking, marketers choose optimal placements for buttons, illustrations, and advertisements. This technology ensures these elements don't hinder users from performing desired actions.

  5. Websites: Eye tracking reveals which areas of a website visitors spend more time on, the sequence in which they view pages, and which parts they overlook. This helps identify, for example, when an ad banner or a button is frequently overlooked.

  6. Packaging: By analyzing the area where a person fixates their gaze, marketers determine the factors that influenced them to make a purchase (or refrain from it).

Eye Direction Psychology — What Influences Our Gaze

Scientific insights from studying gaze movements assist researchers in understanding what attracts our attention. Here are several essential observations:

  1. Eye-catching features: People naturally gravitate towards vibrant, dynamic, and sizable images. Photos, particularly those where the face is turned towards a product, have a knack for grabbing attention.

  2. Cultural nuances: Cultures play a role in shaping our eye movements. For example, Europeans are used to reading from left to right, and their gaze follows suit. In languages with reversed writing, like Hebrew and Arabic, advertising strategies are adapted accordingly.

McDonald's.McDonald's Banner in Arabic.

  1. F and Z Patterns: Back in 2006, researchers noticed that users' eye movements on websites tended to form the letter F. Even after 18 years, companies still organize key sections based on this principle.

The Z-pattern involves a sequential scan of the page: initially, the gaze glides from left to right, then descends and follows the same path. This method corresponds to how people from Western cultures read books.

The F pattern is commonly found on home pages and landing pages, while the Z pattern can be seen in catalogs, news websites, and other platforms with a substantial amount of content.

Advantages of Eye Tracking

  1. Truthfulness: Eye tracking captures genuine reactions that are almost impossible to fake.

  2. Precision in Data: The device measures how much time a person dedicates to a specific area in milliseconds.

Disadvantages of Eye Tracking

  1. Requires a Sizeable Focus Group: To conduct a comprehensive study, you'll need to invite at least 30 people. Your budget considerations should account for participant recruitment costs.

  2. Analysis of Acquired Information: Understanding the results may necessitate the involvement of an external expert.

  3. Not All Factors Are Considered: Eye trackers only register direct gaze, whereas human peripheral vision captures a substantial amount of information.

In Conclusion

Eye tracking gauges how a person's gaze moves and where it lingers. Studies are carried out using eye trackers (portable or stationary). Information is presented in various formats, including heat maps, “fog” maps, and gaze plots.

Eye tracking determines how a person interacts with information (advertisements, product packaging, landing pages, websites). Analyzing the data may require the expertise of an external specialist.

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