We do like new toys!
Eye tracking studies have been all the rage the past year or two. The technology has been around a long time – in many other industries – but us Web marketing folks have gotten a hold of it and we’re having a field day!
Most of the studies I’ve read have been very helpful and well done. But I came across this great summary of the generalized principles drawn from across all recent studies. It’s called Scientific Web Design: 23 Actionable Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies. This is really good stuff, and great to show your designers, coders, and especially, CEO.
Here’s the irony: Every one of these points have been made for years by usability experts like Nielsen, Spool, McGovern, Krug, and many others – without the benefit of eye tracking. So these studies are really just a scientific affirmation of some great hunches, plain ol’ common sense, and extrapolations from hands-on usability studies.