Marketer’s guide to eye-tracking

Given the vast amount of visual stimuli consumers are exposed to, it’s vital for marketers to understand exactly what works visually for their audience.

One way of discovering what catches the consumer eye and what doesn’t – consciously and sub-consciously – is eye-tracking, an established research technique which has moved out of academia and into mainstream marketing.

Eyetracker research director Iain Janes explains the thinking behind this innovative method of tapping into how consumers view the real world, the core technologies used and how the different research models – gaze plots, heatmaps and areas of interest data – work.

He explores their advantages and disadvantages, revealing:

* How eye-tracking can be applied at almost any stage of the design process, from testing concepts through to fine-tuning the finished result.

* The importance of defining realistic objectives, and accurately analysing and interpreting the results.

* How results can be used to make accurate recommendations to improve the way in which products and services are designed and marketed – whether it's print, online, TV or outdoor.