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February 16, 2010

Eye Tracking on Checkout

Jon Queen, CEO of El Toro Interactive shares insights on how cutting-edge eye heat tracking can drive significant improvements in checkout.

Eye Heat Tracking in a Nutshell


Eye heat tracking analyzes the user's responses and reactions to individual aspects of a page as well as the page as a whole. By taking pictures of each test subject's eyes as they navigate through a website, "hot spots" (attention grabbers), "blind spots" (areas the user doesn't see), the sequence of eye movements and amount of time fixated on an area are recorded. The tool then reads the user's reactions to each aspect of a page in order to decipher their mood (interested, curious, confused, satisfied, unsatisfied, etc.). These results give El Toro the information needed to re-design the site and
improve usability.

5 Eye Tracking Tips to Encourage Purchases:


Arrange content into lists - Big blocks of text can overwhelm the user. Organized and concise writing lets the user quickly find the information they need to make them feel comfortable completing the sale.

Put the most important information at the top of the page - Most people scan a page in an F-shaped pattern. By putting the important content at the top, you can ensure that the user is reading what you want them to read to carry on with their purchase.

Don't let images be the focus of attention - Information is generally the main goal of users. So let the most important content be more prominent on the page. Images should clarify nearby content, helping with
purchase decisions.

Use larger images - Smaller images tend to make the page look cluttered. You want users to be able to reinforce previously read content through images in which details can be picked out.

Leave Blank Spaces - Don't clutter pages with text and pictures. By giving their eyes a chance to breathe, users won't feel overwhelmed. This will allow them to digest the important stuff and feel confident in their understanding of the product to make the purchase.


Bottom Line: Eye tracking studies find issues and opportunities that Usability Studies and A/B Testing can't.


Eye Heat scheme

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