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Web Usability and Eyetracking

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Eye Movement Research

Abstract

Eyetracking is one of several methodological tools researchers can employ when they need to evaluate in how far an interface or environment is amenable to a users’ tasks or action goals. This chapter provides an introduction to the field of web usability, what user research looks like, and how it is embedded in an applied research and design setting. We will then describe and discuss when and how eyetracking is useful as a methodology for measuring aspects of web usability, and what it can tell us about the interplay between users and interface. Different eyetracking measures are explained in the context of how they can help the research team to make inferences about users’ mental states and experience, and how these may be used to improve the interface design. This includes a discussion of some “myths” or common misconceptions about eyetracking in usability studies. A few brief case studies are given to illustrate eyetracking in applied web usability research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology, University of East London, London, UK

    Volker Thoma

  2. Service Design and User Experience, Bunnyfoot Ltd., London, UK

    Jon Dodd

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  1. Volker Thoma
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  2. Jon Dodd
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Correspondence to Volker Thoma .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany

    Christoph Klein

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Ulrich Ettinger

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Thoma, V., Dodd, J. (2019). Web Usability and Eyetracking. In: Klein, C., Ettinger, U. (eds) Eye Movement Research. Studies in Neuroscience, Psychology and Behavioral Economics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20085-5_21

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