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Announcement
.JPG ) Thank you for joining us at EyeTrackUX West to celebrate World Usability Day last week! We’d like to give a special thank you to Amy Alberts from Microsoft and Andrew Schall from HFI for excellent interactive presentations. We enjoyed having you all at our conference and really appreciate your active involvement. Next year's event will definitely be longer with more presentations and more networking. For those of you who could not make it to the meeting this time, hopefully we will see you at our EyeTrackUX East conference in the spring.
As always, feel free to forward eyeQ to a colleague or provide us with feedback. I can be reached at barbara.barclay@tobii.com.
Barbara Barclay
General Manager, Tobii North America
Headlines
Tobii Tips & Tricks
Have an X series eye tracker? Do you know how to change the configuration settings quickly and easily?
Market Research
"OMD and CBS Team for Las Vegas Media Research Lab"
"Eyeblaster Study Touts Online Video's Benefit in Time"
"Designing for Retail Realities"
"Buyology Shifts Focus to 'Self-Segmentation'"
"In-Store Marketing Beats Traditional Ads "
"How the Brain Reveals Why We Buy"
Usability
"6 Eye Tracking Studies and What Do They Say About Website Conversion Optimization"
"Online Marketers Need Not Fear the Fold"
"The Most Complex Simple Screen"
"Using Eyetracking Web Usability to Increase Your Web Traffic"
"Google and Heineken Show Paid Ads Work for Branding"
Tobii Tips & Tricks
Have an X series eye tracker? Do you know how to change the configuration settings quickly and easily?
Answers:
• The most common way is by clicking on your eye tracker serial number located at the bottom of the Design and Record tab and selecting the X Series Configuration Tool button.
• You can also reach the same tool by choosing settings from the Tools drop-down menu and going to the Eye Tracker tab.
• Finally, you can find the tool by clicking on Setup, then Settings, and go to the Eye tracker tab.
• Don’t forget to save your data to the eye tracker when it is done.
Market Research
OMD and CBS Team for Las Vegas Media Research Lab
Research Magazine (11/09/09) Verrinder, James
Media communications agency OMD has reached an agreement with CBS Vision, the research arm of CBS, to create a "media effectiveness communication lab" that will use eye-tracking and brain-scanning technology to perform cross-media effectiveness testing. The new Communication Lab @OMD, which will be located at CBS' Television City research facility in Las Vegas, will determine effective levels of multimedia exposure, explore consumer response to advertising through brain-scanning, and test ad size effectiveness using eye tracking. Hershey's, McDonald's, and Pepsi have already signed up as charter users of the lab. "Communications Lab @OMD represents the next evolution in media research—true, multi-platform engagement that gives marketers a higher level of insight into how their consumers interact with brands and messages across all media environments," says OMD CEO Alan Cohen. OMD staff will oversee client research at the lab, while CBS staff will be responsible for recruitment and technical support. OMD says the service will become available to clients in early 2010.
Eyeblaster Study Touts Online Video's Benefit in Time
DM News (11/18/09) Wood, Cara
Web visitors spend almost twice as much time looking at rich media ads with video than those that lack video, according to a recent Eyeblaster study that analyzed more than 100 billion impressions from about 30,000 campaigns globally between the fourth quarter of 2008 and the third quarter of 2009. The study corresponds success with the time spent watching an ad or the population of viewers that activated a video clip when presented with an opportunity. "This study shows that [video advertising is] worth the extra cost and investment," says Eyeblaster analyst Ariel Geifman. The study identifies ways to make people watch rich media ads in greater numbers and for longer times. Shorter video ads are more often viewed all the way through, while another strategy is to make them available during typical work hours. The study also found that featuring a call to action in a banner or on the still of a video player greatly augments the chances that the viewer will hit play to watch the ad. "There are a number of ways to improve the current state of online video; marketers need to focus on the granular level and look at how consumers are responding to the creative and how it aligns with its placement," Geifman says. "It's more about crafting the video ads to fit your placement."
Designing for Retail Realities
Brand Packaging (10/31/09) Young, Scott; Asher, Jonathan
Ensuring the success of a product requires marketers to optimize visibility, shoppability, and make packaging stand out on store shelves, write Perception Research Services' Scott Young and Jonathan Asher. They say that products rarely appear on shelves exactly as marketers want them to, as packages are often knocked over, facing sideways or backwards, partially obstructed, dented, or compromised by poor lighting or careless stocking. Unfortunately, many marketers ignore such retail realities, and often write them off as being beyond their control or someone else's responsibility. Improving the effectiveness of a product's packaging, even in imperfect conditions, can be accomplished by following a few guidelines. First, conduct real audits that systematically document the packaging and shelving condition of the product in a variety of stores. Design packages for the worst case scenario, such as being able to stand up and minimize the risk of breaking, while still incorporating the graphic design to help packaging sell the product. Test the packaging in different contexts to measure on-shelf performance, including different shelf placements, alternative shelf arrangements, in different retail channels, and with different panels or angles of viewing. Lastly, invest in finding new packaging methods that increase the likelihood of products being properly shelved.
Buyology Shifts Focus to 'Self-Segmentation'
MrWeb (11/04/09)
Buyology has altered its approach to help marketers access consumers' non-conscious decision-making process. The firm's new approach is to focus on how consumers are self-segmenting their product purchase behavior, and the need to segment consumers to brands in an effort to market to target audiences more effectively. Buyology uses insights from neuromarketing techniques such as biometrics and semiotics, as well as projective technologies for discovering non-conscious insights and motivations, to analyze and influence the consumer decision-making process. Buyology also uses eye tracking, EMG, fMRI, galvanic response, EEG, and reaction time, as well as a database of more than 2,500 brain scans from the United States, Britain, Germany, Japan, and China. The company then develops solutions to segment consumers to brands. "Traditional research alone does not yield the insights needed to understand how to segment consumers to brands, because these insights can only be realized by analyzing this non-conscious decision making process," says Buyology's Gary Singer.
In-Store Marketing Beats Traditional Ads
DDI Magazine (10/21/09) Hein, Kenneth
The Elements Report, part three of the "Gone in 2.3 Seconds: Capturing Shoppers with Effective In-Store Triggers Series," found that in-store marketing is more effective than traditional ads. Thirty-two percent of the 999 shoppers polled said that in-store marketing is "very effective," while only 27 percent said the same about ads outside of a store. The report found that the shopping experience is critical for marketers, with 69 percent of poll respondents calling the in-store experience a "make or break" scenario. Although 65 percent of shoppers make lists, brand decisions are largely decided at the store, according to 60 percent of respondents. End-aisle displays are the most attractive, according to 70 percent of respondents, followed by merchandising displays and department signage. Ceiling banners and overhead mobiles had the smallest impact. Shelf strips and shelf blades are becoming increasingly important, particularly to Gen X and Gen Y consumers who feel they provide more information. In general, Gen Y consumers and women were the most influenced by in-store marketing efforts. "Understanding high potential shopper strike zones has become increasingly critical given the intensified battle for consumer loyalty and share of mind in-store," says consultant D'Anna Hawthorne.
How the Brain Reveals Why We Buy
Scientific American (11/02/09) Frank, Lone
Neuromarketing aims to turn the art of advertising into a science, which, for example, would enable a marketing expert proposing a major deal to a client to back up the proposal with actual data. Neuroscience aims to determine how the activity of brain cells reflects what people are thinking about products and other stimuli. In one of the first neuroscience studies in 2003, Emory University's Clinton Kilts showed volunteers a variety of consumer goods and asked them to rank those goods on a numerical scale. The volunteers were then shown the products again while undergoing an magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Kilts noticed that whenever the volunteers saw a product they really liked, blood flowed to a small area toward the front of the brain, the medial prefrontal cortex. Kilts used his research to start a new division within BrightHouse, the Neurostrategies Group, which was created to perform studies designed to increase the understanding of how consumers think and, specifically, how they develop a relationship with companies and brands. Since then, neuroscience studies have been used for a variety of purposes. For example, Pepsi often is preferred to Coca-Cola in blind taste tests, but Coke is still the best selling brand. In a study at the Baylor College of Medicine, volunteers were first asked to taste the two products in a blind tasting, in which Pepsi was the clear winner. When the volunteers underwent MRI scanning while tasting the products, Pepsi was found to set off greater activity in the ventral putamen, which is a area deep in the brain in the striatum which, among other purposes, is a component in the reward system.
Usability
6 Eye Tracking Studies and What Do They Say About Website Conversion Optimization
Wingify (11/09/09)
Several eye-tracking studies have revealed numerous insights into effective Web site design. The "F-Shaped Pattern for Reading Web Content" study essentially proved the F pattern that Web users use to search pages, suggesting that headlines and the starting paragraph are the most important elements on a page. The "Eye Gaze Patterns While Searching vs. Browsing a Web Site" study confirmed the F pattern approach is used during both browsing and searching efforts. "An Eye Tracking Study of How Font Size, Font Type, and Pictures Influence Online Reading" conducted by IBM and Google found that font size and font type do not have a major impact on browsing style. "Effects of Hyperlink Density on News Web Page Reading: An Eye Tracking Study" concluded that increasing the number of links on a page can increase the number of page views on a site, but not necessarily affect conversion rate. "The Determinants of Web Page Viewing Behavior: An Eye Tracking Study" found that the more complex a page is the more likely it is that a visitor will take an unexpected gaze path, possibly increasing the chances of missing a call to action. It also found that the first page a visitor lands on provides a lot of context, and that anything missed on the first page may not be noticeable during additional exploration of a site. Lastly, "Could I Have the Menu Please? An Eye Tracking Study of Design Conventions" indicates that users quickly adapt to unconventional user interfaces, but that a Web site should have the same interface across the entire site. It also found that Web users take 50 percent longer to complete a search task on a complex site.
Online Marketers Need Not Fear the Fold
Biz Report (11/02/09) Leggatt, Helen
Traditional media strategies do not always work online, and the same is true for traditional marketing creative considerations, according to data gathered from new usability tests and eye-tracking studies. A major takeaway from the studies is that, when designing a Web site, marketers do not need to be afraid of the "fold," which refers to the bottom part of a Web page that is not seen when a page first loads. For years, creative attention has focused on the space above the fold, or the area that Web users can see without scrolling down. However, the studies found that consumers are willing and able to scroll down a Web page to find more information, essentially removing the online fold, or scroll-line, as a barrier. Out of 800 user-testing sessions, only in three instances did the page fold stop users from finding the desired information. Eye-tracking hotspot studies found that most users look at the scroll bar to estimate the Web page size, and having less above the fold actually encourages users to scroll down for more.
The Most Complex Simple Screen
MediaPost Publications (10/29/09) Sullivan, Laurie
For mobile devices to become a vibrant platform, marketers and advertisers must take a different approach than the one used for the PC Web, according to ESPN Mobile general manager John Zehr. ESPN worked with Ad Labs to study eye tracking on mobile devices. The research found that mobile banners are more effective on the phone compared to the PC, no matter the size of the banner. Zehr says mobile is a personal experience, and notes that is the only screen that a person has with them the entire day. He says that people looking to design for Internet sites and services for mobile devices should consider each mobile user's unique behavior. The phone is connected to a number, which allows providers to know what a user wants, letting providers tailor the content. ESPN's mobile site knows the last time a person visited and what they looked at, enabling them to provide a unique experience and to target advertising. The data ESPN Mobile provides has been optimized to fit a small mobile screen, keeping the screen free from clutter, and the application simply provides the information the user wants to see. ESPN also is working with Nielsen to monitor what people do on their phone over a 24-hour period.
Using Eyetracking Web Usability to Increase Your Web Traffic
Eye-Tracking Update (11/12/09) Tan, J.
Eye-tracking Web usability has become a major trend among Web developers and designers looking to provide their customers with the most value. Even an attractive looking Web site may not be particularly well designed if it fails to bring Web users to the site, or prevents them from completing their objective. Eye-tracking Web usability tests can help Web designers find site navigational problems. Navigation tools and relevant content need to be easily recognized by Web users, or their experience with a site will be frustrating and cause them to search for the desired information elsewhere. To design a user-friendly site, it is important to remember that users with different levels of experience will use a Web site in different ways. Experienced users will most likely have done research on the desired topic before visiting a Web site, and will already have a goal in mind, such as finding the cheapest place to buy a product. Inexperienced users may not have done as much research, and may not know exactly what they want when visiting a site. Different visual elements should be incorporated to please both groups, and eye-tracking Web usability can help determine the optimal placement for these elements. Optimizing a Web site for a target demographic is better than simply trying to make the site appeal to everyone. Focusing on a target audience makes it easier to customize the Web site's interface and navigation to better fit Web users' expectations.
Google and Heineken Show Paid Ads Work for Branding
SearchCowboys (11/04/09) Van den Beld, Bas
Google Netherlands and Heineken recently released the results of a study on the effect of paid advertising on branding. The research focused on the "Jouw Heineken" campaign, which allowed customers to design and buy custom beer bottles. The study found that search impressions create a high quality brand awareness. The researchers compared the effectiveness of search against other media and looked at the interaction between search and other media, exploring search, TV online display ads, and YouTube. Eye-tracking tests performed in the study showed, via a heat map, that the first search result on the left side captures and retains the most attention. The study found that a search impression alone creates 23 percent more brand preference for Heineken than the entire Heineken campaign without search, and that a search click creates 69 percent more brand preference. Search's ability to affect a brand metric such as brand preference demonstrates the ability of search to move consumers deeper into the purchase funnel, past simple awareness. Adding search to TV increased overall brand effectiveness by 1.5 times, demonstrating the synergistic effect of search and TV, and search proved to be 53 percent more cost-efficient than TV in creating "Top of Mind Awareness."
Abstract News © Copyright 2009 INFORMATION, INC.
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