Aga Bojko and Kristin Adamczyk Contest Popular Misconceptions about Eye Tracking in a UX Magazine Article

In the latest issue of User Experience Magazine, a publication of Usability Professionals’ Association, eye tracking experts Aga Bojko and Kristin Adamczyk of User Centric challenge the false beliefs and questionable practices surrounding eye tracking methodology.

Eye tracking is no longer a novel addition to the user experience research toolbox used by only a few specialized researchers. As more UX professionals incorporate eye tracking into their studies, many misconceptions are being created and perpetuated, giving eye tracking an undeserved bad reputation.

In tackling this sensitive topic, Aga and Kristin use their years of experience and globally recognized expertise to create a list of ten misconceptions, which they then systematically correct:

1. All usability research can benefit from eye tracking.
2. Eye tracking is all about heat maps.
3. Eye tracking results are easy to interpret.
4. There is only one way to look at something.
5. Let’s track and see what comes out!
6. There is a “magic sample size” for all eye tracking studies.
7. Eye movement analysis can be done by watching gaze videos.
8. The dot indicates exactly where a person looked and what they saw.
9. All data collected should be analyzed.
10. Anyone can do eye tracking.

Hoping to shift the tide and demanding more care be given to eye tracking study design and data analysis, Aga and Kristin look to lead the charge in reframing eye tracking in the minds of clients and researchers alike.

To access more eye tracking publications from User Centric, visit www.usercentric.com/eyetracking.

About the Authors

Aga Bojko is an Associate Director at User Centric, Inc. She has more than ten years experience with various types of eye trackers that she has used to conduct UX research with software applications, websites, instructional material, pharmaceutical labels, and product packaging. Aga holds an MS in Human-Computer Interaction from DePaul University and an MS in Human Factors from the University of Illinois.

Kristin A. Adamczyk is a User Experience Specialist at User Centric, Inc., where she focuses on combining eye tracking with more traditional user research methodologies. Since 2006, she has collected data from hundreds of participants using remote and wearable eye trackers. Kristin has an MS in Human-Computer Interaction from DePaul University.