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Attention Analytics: Mousetracking & Eyetracking

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Mousetracking & Eyetracking

A view, a click: first look, then click.

scoreberlin has developed a unique usability method to analyze users' attention ensuring broad insight into information processing and user behavior. Our method is particularly suited for optimizing designs and processes as it is able to detect and trace chains of cause and effect which can lead to session aborts.

Apart from screen readers and Braille lines: Only what has been seen will be clicked on. Often we hear questions like: Is there a significant correlation between mouse and eye movements? The answer is yes, and no. Indeed the mouse as the important interface between human being and application experiences enormous impact. But mouse activity on web sites is far away from being as distinct as eye gaze behavior. Which is reasonable in consideration of the fact that mouse movements are following downstream the information processing: first look, then click.

When and where does the mouse move?

During information processing, during scanning and reading, in phases of shifting attention we watch the mouse frequently being paused in neutral mode, quite often within the right third of the browser window (out of attention focus, close to the scroll bar). In phases of click decicions we watch the neutral mode being shorten and cut (the stronger clickable elements come into users' attention focus), still diverging from eye movements. During the transition from shifting to selective attention the indolent mouse is often moving in an asynchronous manner compared to the fast gaze movements. The more focussed attention dwells upon (apparently) clickable elements, the more likely the mouse will also be moved there, getting in synch with eye fixations.

The aforementioned question can be answered as follows: The relation between eye and mouse movements is fundamental. Hence the methodical and often raised comparison or confrontation of »Eyetracking vs. Mousetracking« doesn't make any sense to us. Regarding to Web Usability and Web Application Usability both methods become strong by their combination. Eyetracking analysis betrays what users have perceived, have seen, scanned, read, what they have ignored or what they considered of no importance. What we learn is what has aroused their attention, we see and understand, what has been of interest to them.

Mousetracking becomes strong in combination with eyetracking.

But whether the decision to click is based upon these aspects – we can only ask. Here comes mouse following. Mousetracking visualizes the ways and distances the mouse has covered (mousepath), on which elements users have clicked (clickspots) – and on which they haven't. Mousepaths and clickspots alone don't let us draw conclusions on perception, motivation, and certainly not on behavior. Not until they are combined with preceding gaze scanpaths (saccades and fixations): Now we are able to reconstruct and understand click decisions. Together with qualitative methods, e.g. Think-Aloud, we obtain insight into subjective user experience.

Mousepath (left) and clickspots (right): The lines visualize mouse movement, a round circle signalizes each click. Clickspots illustrate which links have been clicked frequently or not at all.

Being applied as single methods during usability evaluation and optimization, eyetracking and mousetracking alone leave too many questions unanswered. Combining eyetracking and mousetracking opens new dimensions for analyzing attention and impact. From the resulting data clusters complex matters may be presented in a concise manner which let us draw conclusions on causes, effects, and decisions (Attention Analytics). Both navigational and click decisions and session aborts become traceable and comprehensible. So the method is particularly suited for improving designs and optimizing processes as it is able to detect and trace correlations and chains of cause and effect which can lead to user aborts.

Published: 08/2007
 Marcus Völkel 

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© 1999-2010 scoreberlin® GmbH. scoreberlin ist eine inhabergeführte Agentur für Usability-Beratung und -Optimierung. Zu unseren Leidenschaften zählen Usability-Testing, User Experience, Mobile UX, Eyetracking, UX Research sowie projekt- und prozessbegleitendes Usability Consulting. Wir arbeiten für renommierte Agenturen, Behörden und Unternehmen. Über 85 Prozent unserer Auftraggeber binden uns wiederholt in ihre Projekte ein.