Oculographic studies: what the view does not tell

We offer the readers the second part of the article devoted to the application of light tracking techniques in usability studies. Continuing the discussion of the topics covered in the previous post, we would like to consider the issue of the possibilities and limits of oculographic research. Through the prism of modern problems of interface design, we are trying to develop a new look at the question of finding an adequate method for studying the human factor. Science is focused on quantitative research, whereas in the vital world of man, quality characteristics play an important role, from which science, with its ideals of objectivity and validity of results, seeks to distance itself. Can Aytreking with its accuracy and impartiality help to understand what users think and feel when working with applications and sites?


In our previous article, we defined oculography (Aytreking) as an objective measurement of eye movements. With the help of light tracking, you can determine what users see, but you cannot determine what they think at that moment. To have a complete understanding of the specifics of user experience, you need to know what and how it was understood by the user, what caused particular interest, what factors led to satisfaction, etc.

One look is enough?
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According to the result of eytreking, one can only say that certain elements of visual design attract the eye (and, possibly, cause heightened interest). The researcher needs to have a clear idea of ​​what exactly he expects from this technique: the study of the look as such is not an end in itself; In addition, by analyzing the movement of the eye, you can get only minor, but not the main data on the specifics of working with the application or site.



Aitracking can show what the user sees, but not what he thinks.

Unlike other usability testing methods, the subjects during the night tracking do not voice their thoughts out loud and do not talk about what they think, feel, understand. The actions of the subjects are not accompanied by questions of researchers like “What are you trying to do now?” Or “What result do you expect by clicking this link?”. If one of the participants interrupts the assignment - the whole test will be for nothing.

Verbalization can affect user behavior: they can spend more time and effort in completing tasks. Oculographic studies allow to avoid such distortions, but at the same time it is necessary that the user's attention and attention be fixed exclusively on the interface.

There are many methods of oculographic analysis, but all of them, as a rule, are aimed at obtaining data on the localization of points of long-term gaze fixation and measuring the duration of fixation. With the help of light tracking, you can:

• to identify the elements of visual design that most attract the user's attention: sometimes it is important to know whether certain interface elements (menus, buttons, images, etc.) are attractive to the eye. In addition, based on the results of aytreking, conclusions can be drawn about the successful or unsuccessful arrangement of the elements (based on how long their gaze lingered on them). Before the study, you can select elements that are the objects of increased attention from the point of view of the developer. Then these data are compared with the results obtained when working with the subjects.
• Observe the speed of movement of the gaze, especially if the user views the site one by one. Analyzing the trajectory of the movement of sight, it is possible to draw conclusions about whether the user follows the logic of the interface and whether it views all pages of the site in the same way. If we are talking about, for example, an online store site, then it can be considered successful from the point of view of usability if the user’s look is immediately fixed on the central (representing specific products) design elements, and not on the secondary ones.

Facts or user experience?

Users do not give themselves a report on exactly where they fixed their eyes, looking at the monitor screen. Even after performing a special task, they cannot tell in what sequence they looked through the elements of the page. However, is it really necessary to know the information to which the user has shown increased attention? what did he remember best? what was the most interesting? or vice versa: what did he not pay attention to at all?

With the help of light tracking, you can identify actions that you can hardly pay attention to with simple observation - for example, the fact that the user has fixed his eyes on a particular button for only a second longer than the others. Oculometric research can tell about exactly what the user was looking at (the user himself may not remember this). For example, based on the results of aytreking, it can be assumed that the user was in doubt, intending to click on one or another button. Such nuances remain unnoticed when using traditional usability testing techniques.

Traditional techniques go a different way: asking the user in detail, the researcher receives subjective, but at the same time sufficiently reliable information about the user's motives, actions, his understanding of certain points of work with the application or site. In this way, you can get a clear idea of ​​what needs to be done to increase user satisfaction.



During usability testing, the subject talks about everything he thinks and feels.

In the video sample below, a participant cannot select one article from the list provided. She doubts; her gaze wanders around the screen. The gaze stops at certain points - but it still cannot make decisions.



According to the results of lighttracking, you can, of course, adapt the location of all interface elements to the specifics of user perception. However, it seems that in the case shown on the video, the usual usability testing could be more effective: if the subject told about her problems and difficulties, it would immediately become clear that it is not suitable for her in the interface and how this defect can be corrected.

Attractive to look or attractive to the user?

If the user’s gaze lingered on a particular interface element, this does not always mean that this element caught his attention. Aytreking provides only indirect information about the specifics of user perception of applications and sites.

Oculographic research techniques appeared long before the Internet appeared. They have long been actively used in science and industry. For example, many car manufacturers evaluate the degree of driver fatigue by the specifics of his movement (fixation time on outsiders, that is, not having any relation to driving, the elements; the duration of closing the century, etc.).

Another important oculometric indicator is dilated pupils. Pupils are dilated depending on the light and the degree of fatigue. The more the pupils dilate or expand, the more effort is expended in learning and memorizing visual information. This is confirmed by the data of brain studies conducted simultaneously with the light tracking. Brain encephalography makes it possible to clarify the data of eytreking and to obtain additional information about the distribution and fixation of the subject's attention.

Pupil studies have not yet received widespread use in oculography — largely because the causes of pupil constriction and dilation are difficult to determine unambiguously. Accurate data can only be obtained under laboratory conditions.

findings

• With the help of eytreking, you can set the order in which the visual elements of the interface were viewed and how long their gaze lingered on. However, for a complete picture, it is necessary to obtain confirmation from the user that where the gaze lasted the longest, there is really important and necessary information;
• According to the results of lighttracking, conclusions can be drawn about the visual arrangement of the design elements. But in order to increase the reliability of these conclusions, it is necessary to get an explanation from the user as to why this composition, and not another, seems to be more convenient for him;
• Oculographic research is more expensive than traditional usability testing. Before conducting a study, it is necessary to clearly formulate goals and objectives, as well as a working hypothesis.

Conclusion

Unlike other methods of ergonomic research, eytracking allows you to get verified, reproducible results.

Aitrecking will not be able to completely supplant traditional usability testing techniques: on the contrary, it complements them. With the help of light tracking, you can get information about what attracts the user's attention, in what sequence it looks at the interface elements, at what speed it detects this or that information.

Strengths of eytreking:

• Aitracking allows you to highlight areas to which the user is paying increased attention. Zones of increased interest are those at which the user's gaze lingered the longest, as well as those to which he returned several times;
• According to the results of eytreking, it is possible to present texts in such a way that it is convenient to read them from the screen (select the required font type, size, text, divide the text into visual blocks of a certain size, etc.);
• With the help of eytreking, you can recreate the trajectory of movement of the look on the interface (to determine what attracted attention in the first place, in what sequence interface elements were viewed, etc.); Oculographic studies allow you to choose the most convenient from the point of view of user convenience location of interface elements (buttons, images etc.);;
  With the help of IT tracking, it is possible to establish exactly how users are looking for the necessary information, which allows you to adjust the design of the application or website to the needs of the user; IT tracking techniques can be combined with other usability research techniques;
  
  
  
  Weaknesses of eytreking
  
  
  • Based on the results of eytreking, it is impossible to draw conclusions about what exactly attracted the user's attention: valuable information or just a spectacular graphic design;
  • If the user's view repeatedly returned to a particular section of the screen, this does not always mean that this section is of interest to him. The user could return with his gaze to the same place so that the text fragments or graphic images located there would be incomprehensible to him;
  • From the fact that certain visual elements of the interface attracted increased user attention, it does not at all follow that these elements are really convenient for solving specific tasks; With the help of light tracking, it is impossible to fix the thoughts, feelings and emotions that arise when working with the interface, and all the more so - to establish what the user liked or disliked;
    Certain difficulties arise when using eytreking to study mobile interfaces of smartphones or tablets.