Improving Web User Interface With Eye Tracking

One of the biggest problems in web design is creating an intuitive interface that allows users to easily find information they want. Internet users have set expectations on how to navigate existing popular websites, and designers can either cater to that standard, or attempt to create interfaces that are different, more efficient, and more intuitive. Some new interfaces help to navigate through web design that can often frustrate some users.

Through the use of eye tracking technology, researchers at University College London recently studied the effects various web interfaces have on subjects performing searches. The researchers set up three different menu layouts – one at the left, one at the top, and another at the right of the screen. Participants of the experiment were directed to find targets in each menu layout. The results found that participants took 50% longer to complete search tasks within more complex site interfaces – ones that had more content modules and banner ads. Furthermore, interface navigation differences overall were considered insignificant across the three different menu layouts. The only discrepancy that was revealed was that users were more efficient when using left menu layouts, but only on their first visit to the website. Subsequent visits to the same site showed no difference in navigation performance among all three menu layouts, showing that users can quickly adapt to different interface designs. Additional eye tracking data shows the majority of participants’ attention was focused at the center of the website content, whereas only one percent was focused toward the bottom of the page.

In the end, researchers concluded that, contrary to participants’ expectations, the implementation of a new or unfamiliar interface is acceptable as long as the web interface is consistent throughout the entire site. The participant only needs to adjust once to adapt to the site interface layout.

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