How do you collect eye-tracking data?
We have several technologies available to us for collecting visual attention data. We have 5 stationary cameras which are attached to computer monitors. The stationary cameras record what people look at when stimuli is present on the monitors. These are very helpful with studies interested in visuals with a lot of detail (e.g., nutrition fact labels, informational reports or graphics) or website design and use. We also have 2 mobile eye-tracking glasses that can be used in real world environments. They are similar to wearing a regular pair of glasses and participants can move around a store, field, or other environment while wearing the glasses. These are helpful when considering store layout or needing to incorporate real environments to address the research question. Both technologies are non-invasive, safe to use, and collect similar visual information. The best technology to use depends on the goals of the specific project and the lab researchers can help identify which would work best for your project.
What gets recorded and reported from projects incorporating eye-tracking?
The data collected from these types of projects is similar to other consumer behavior projects. The visual attention data includes fixation counts, duration, time to first fixation, gaze paths, and heat maps. Each of these metrics are defined below. Survey data is also collected and frequently includes demographic information and behavior related questions.
Visual Attention Metric
Description
Fixation count
Number of fixations when the eye is still and focused on the stimuli. This is when information acquisition occurs.
Duration
Duration of time that the participant views the stimuli. This can be fixation duration or total viewing duration.
Time to first fixation
How long it takes the participant to view the stimuli after it has been presented. This indicates how quickly elements of the stimuli captures attention.
Gaze path
Image of the fixations, saccades (when the eye is moving), order of fixations, and duration of fixations on the stimuli of interest.
Heat map
Image showing the concentration of visual attention on the stimuli of interest.
How do I initiate a project?
If you are interested in using the REM Lab’s services. Please reach out to the lab team. We will direct you to the appropriate person to help answer questions, identify goals, and start the process.