Eye Tracking For Usability On Real Estate Websites
Last week we briefly discussed the use of eye tracking for real estate sites, and it looks like another post we found touches on the same story.
Usability is priceless when it comes to designing a site for the public. You want their attention and you want to keep it, supplying the information they require and making good on getting them where they want to go. Eye tracking technology has helped to make Google, Microsoft, and Ebay the powerhouses they are today within their respective markets.
So a company called Active Website is trying to help real estate companies make the leap to becoming more useful in the world of the Internet. Active Website performed a series of studies and analysis for real estate sites, providing reports that suggested improvements on the sitemap and navigation.
Their report touched on some of the main navigation styles and sitemap structure, as well as some of the more effective ways of organizing content. With the goal being to create a better real estate website, Active Website interviewed customers from diverse backgrounds, allowing them to suggest and discuss best approaches for organization.
They found the customers wanted simple headings like buyers, local information, sellers, and an “about us” section. From there, the hierarchy of information was organized under commercial, rental, and relocation menus. Buyer’s guides, buyer services, and a section called “common buying mistakes” tended toward the top of the list, prioritizing the more obvious links and organizing information people needed quickly. From there, customers thought that finance, a guide to closing costs, homebuyer tax credit, loan processes, a mortgage calculator, and title insurance where sections next in line of importance. They wanted to have a separate “green” section organized and subdivided for environmental information, as well as sections on new builds, the cost of living, local weather, market statistics, resource guides, and school information.
Take a look at the original post to see what else customers thought most important. If read correctly, it can be insightful when it comes to organizing information on your site, be it real estate-themed or not.
Active Usability Lab: The Ideal Sitemap
Related articles:
- Eye Tracking Usability: What is the Best Sitemap Layout?
- Eye Tracking Questions Usefulness of Real Time Search Results
- Eye Tracking: Why Ugly Websites Can Kill Your Business