Eye Tracking: Fluffy Bunnies or Research Apocalypse

Abstract

“How do I design an eye tracking study?” or “How many participants do I need for an eye tracking study?” are examples of questions we often hear. The correct answer is: “What would you do if this wasn’t an eye tracking study?” As a method, eye tracking in many of its aspects is not that special, and should be subject to the same research principles as any other data gathering technique is.

What is unique is the type of information eye tracking lets us access – visual attention, revealing users’ search strategies, decision making processes, cognitive workload, and interests. Unfortunately, most of this fascinating information is not useful because it is not actionable. As UX professionals, we conduct research to inform design and business decisions, and we need findings that will help us do that.

This talk will contest popular misconceptions about eye tracking as a method and provide a framework for generating actionable eye tracking insight.