Eye-tracking has the same trap as all data collection - if you're not sure how the data will enable you to make better decisions, having reems of it doesn't help much. Depending on the kind of UI being designed, different levels of data are more useful than others. Eye-tracking gives you information about *everything* the user looks at in mili-second increments - will that be more useful in recognizing issues and evaluating a design than standard measures like time on task, errors, and success rates for tasks? Often the answer is no.
There are plenty of other usability data collection methods thave have specialized use: for example keystroke level recording and GOMS analysis also provide highly detailed data that is great for some design problems but overkill for most. I don't know of a single design firm or software company that has invested in eye-tracking that uses the tool regularly. In special cases it's poweful (Say a Heads-up display for the F-17, or Mac Finder, complex high use items where miliseconds matter), but generally it provides data that doesn't much help answer the design and research questions designers have. There are some compilations of general findings from eye-tracking, but as interesting as they are they don't suggest changes or improvements so much as offer validation of concepts many designers already use. http://www.poynterextra.org/eyetrack2004/main.htm. It's great that someone has done this, and it's cool looking data, but the information found tends to be general enough that few are motivated to repeat the studies to see if their specific web-pages or software deviates from these typical saccade patterns. Lastly, eyetracking tools are flat out expensive. This means it's harder to find people experienced with the tools, and it takes more time and money to interpret data that comes out of those studies. -Scott Scott Berkun www.scottberkun.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Andre Charland" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, April 17, 2008 3:11 PM Subject: [IxDA Discuss] Is Eye Tracking too expensive or complicated? Hey All, I just put together about Eye Tracking (http://www.insideria.com/2008/04/is-eye-tracking-out-of-reach.html) but I thought I'd put the question out to the list: "Why isn't eye tracking used more in design and testing of rich internet applications?" ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
