Eye Tracking: Does Google Instant Preview Improve Usability?

Google always seems to be at the top of its game. Technology writers follow its every move, and critics create buzz around the business even if they try to detract from it.

When Google employs a change, like it or not, much of the world feels the effects. It is the number one search engine after all. A recent post at Simple Usability’s blog went over Google’s Instant Preview and eye tracking in particular, discussing in the article how it’s changing the game of search. Eye tracking was used in research on the page, and with the use of heat maps, Google’s team was able to see where users looked and whether the new layout was effective.

We adapt quickly to changes in format online, and when something new and better comes along, the web savvy users can be quick to adopt new applications. With Google Instant Preview, the company is effectively changing the way we search by allowing a user to see a website before they actually click on it.

A magnifying glass hovers over the entries and a preview of the page appears, so you can get a sense of what’s there and if it’s what you’re looking for before you actually click through to the site. Obviously this could change everything from how we search to how sites are designed. What does this mean for your web page and search rankings? If a user can see your site before they actually click on it, does that affect your page hits and effective ranking as a result?

Users typically make a lot of decisions as they surf for what they’re looking for online. If we see a site and understand what we’re looking at, part of the process of being an observer is that you browse and make decisions. What company does the page belong to? What are they offering? Being on the site itself really helps, and the article’s author wonders if only seeing a small preview might affect how a site is seen.

From a designer’s point of view, if they know a user will only look at a preview of their site, will they feel inclined to create a page that speaks to the user from the preview itself?

And from a user’s point of view, if you no longer have to guess and land on a page based on the short meta data description, can you dismiss some sites as being less useful?

Google Instant Previews – Eye Tracking shows it’s game changing

Related articles:

1. Eye Tracking: Does Google Instant Improve Usability?
2. Google Using Eye Tracking To Study New Google Instant
3. Eye Tracking Looks at How We Rely on Google for Answers
4. Google Uses Eye Tracking to Test its Revamped Design
5. Eye Tracking Questions Usefulness of Real Time Search Results
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