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This guide introduces the essentials of eye tracking, from how the technology works and what it measures to the different ways gaze data can be used in research and real-world applications.
Whether you're completely new to eye tracking or looking to strengthen your understanding, start here and explore the topics most relevant to you.
Eye tracking essentialsAn eye tracker detects characteristics of the eyes and uses them to calculate gaze, an estimate of where someone is looking at a particular moment. By recording gaze continuously, eye tracking creates a detailed picture of visual behavior over time.
What attracts attention?
What gets overlooked?
In what order is information explored?
How does visual behavior change during a task?
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Discover how eye tracking captures visual behavior and turns it into data you can analyze and understand.
Capture the eyes
Cameras capture images of the eyes while controlled illumination makes important eye features easier to detect.
Calculate gaze
Eye tracking algorithms process these images to estimate where the person is looking.
Record visual behavior
Gaze position and eye movements are recorded over time, creating a stream of eye tracking data.
Analyze patterns
Researchers can visualize and analyze the data to explore attention, behavior, and patterns between individuals, groups, tasks, or conditions.
Eye trackers use cameras and near-infrared light to capture the eyes, while advanced algorithms process this information to calculate precisely where a person is looking.
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Eye trackers work by directing invisible near-infrared light into a person’s eyes and then measuring the reflection of this light with high-definition cameras to determine where their gaze is focused. These cameras and illuminators (the light sources) are usually very small and are positioned inside the eye tracker, as you see with screen-based eye trackers, or they can be integrated into a wearable eye tracker, such as a pair of eye tracking glasses.
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Advanced algorithms are used to calculate with great precision where the person is looking based on the direction of the reflected light. This information is used in conjunction with the material displayed on the screen or scene recordings taken from the scene camera on a wearable eye tracker to give an accurate representation of what the person is looking at.
Eye trackers generate measurements related to gaze, eye position, and eye movement. From these signals, researchers can derive measures that describe different aspects of visual behavior.
Gaze point
An estimate of where a person is looking at a particular moment.
Fixation
A period when gaze remains relatively stable around a location while the visual system takes in information.
Saccade
A rapid eye movement that shifts gaze from one location to another.
Pupil size
Changes in pupil size can be measured over time and, with careful experimental control, investigated in relation to cognitive and physiological processes.
Blinks
Blink timing, duration, and frequency can also provide useful information in some research contexts.
Dwell time
The amount of time a person’s gaze remains within a specific area or region of interest.
The best way to capture gaze depends on what you want to study and where the behavior takes place.
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For studies where participants interact with content on a monitor or with controlled stimuli.
Best for: Psychology, neuroscience, UX, reading, decision-making, and controlled experiments.
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Capture visual attention while people move naturally through real-world environments.
Best for: Human performance, training, workplace studies, and natural behavior.
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Conduct certain screen-based studies using a standard webcam without dedicated eye tracking hardware.
Best for: Remote research, large-scale studies, and studies where accessibility and reach are priorities.
Eye tracking can reveal patterns that people may not remember, notice, or be able to describe themselves.
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ApplicationsEye tracking is used across disciplines because visual behavior plays a role in so many human activities.
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Academic research in psychology is a broad and dynamic field that encompasses the scientific study of the human mind and behavior.
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With eye tracking, you can visualize the impact of your shopper journey, packaging design, advertising, or user experience, empowering you to attract more customers.
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Transfer skills from experts to new recruits and systematically shape operating procedures for improved safety and efficiency.
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Human factors research is a multidisciplinary field that studies how humans interact with systems, products, tools, environments, or technologies.
Analyzing dataEye tracking software can help researchers review recordings, identify eye movements, define relevant regions, visualize gaze behavior, calculate metrics, and export data for further analysis.
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A heatmap provides an aggregated view of where visual activity is concentrated across a stimulus or environment.
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Areas of interest (AOIs) are regions defined by the researcher, so gaze behavior associated with particular objects or elements can be measured and compared.
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Gaze plots visualize the sequence and location of fixations, helping researchers explore how someone visually navigated a stimulus.
A sophisticated eye tracker does not automatically guarantee useful results.
Data quality depends on the eye tracker, participant, study environment, calibration, experimental setup, and the way the data is processed and interpreted.
To understand the quality of your eye tracking data, there are four key measures to consider:
✔ Accuracy
✔ Precision
✔ Data loss
✔ Sampling frequency
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Three simple principles can help you turn eye tracking data into meaningful insights and interpret your findings with confidence.
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Don't start with a heatmap and ask what it means.
Start by defining what you want to understand and determine which eye tracking measures can help you investigate it.
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The same eye movement can mean different things in different tasks.
A longer fixation could reflect deeper processing, difficulty, interest, confusion, or something else entirely. Context matters.
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Sometimes, gaze is only part of the story.
Eye tracking can be highly informative by itself, but some research questions benefit from combining gaze with behavioral measures, physiological signals, task performance, interviews, or other methods.
FAQsExplore answers to common questions about eye tracking, from calibration and accuracy to choosing and using an eye tracker.
Clear up common misconceptions about eye tracking and better understand what the technology can and can’t reveal.
Resources:quality(50))
Eye tracking is the process of measuring either the point of gaze (where one is looking) or the motion of an eye relative to the head, typically using specialized sensors or cameras.
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A practical guide to eye tracking setup for wearable and screen‑based systems, helping you achieve cleaner data, smoother sessions, and more reliable results.
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Tobii Pro Lab makes it simple for beginners to get started with screen-based eye tracking and offers a large degree of flexibility as you grow your research ambitions.
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Dive into wearable eye tracking studies effortlessly with Tobii Pro Lab software. Tobii Pro Lab complements data collected with Tobii Pro Glasses, enriching your research for exploratory and in-depth analysis.
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Advanced Screen simplifies the design of screen-based eye tracking studies for behavioral research and allows researchers to easily create and control complex experiments.
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Get the tools, guides, and support you need to go from concept to commercialization—achieving the shortest time to market.
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Saccades, fixations, and other types of eye movements can be captured with eye tracking technology. Read about various types of eye movements and their function.
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Discover the key differences between wearable and screen-based eye trackers. Learn which Tobii eye tracking solution fits your research goals, environment, and industry needs.
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In this webinar we focus on wearable eye tracking as a method for research. She goes through all the steps an academic researcher often needs to perform, from a research question all the way to a complete dataset for your experiment.
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In this webinar Dr. Mirjana Sekicki, Tobii, focuses on screen-based eye tracking solutions, and particularly highlights what to consider when formulating a research question.
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Explore when remote setups are worth using, what defines success, and what researchers should consider before setting one up.
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This article explains how eye tracking works. We illustrate step-by-step processes of screen-based and wearable eye trackers and XR integrations.
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This guide will walk you through the questions that are important to consider when evaluating a new eye tracking system, to help you choose the right eye tracker for your research.
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Learn how to avoid common eye tracking research pitfalls and improve your work with practical advice, as Dr Tim Holmes shares eye tracking tips from years of experience.
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Eye tracking heat maps reveal where users focus on digital content, helping designers and marketers optimize layouts, improve UX, and drive better engagement through data-driven insights.
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Discover how gaze plots reveal where users look, navigate, and engage with digital experiences. Learn how eye tracking provides actionable UX insights that go beyond traditional analytics.
Download Tobii's guide covering eye tracking technology, applications, metrics, and practical research considerations.
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Access expert support, practical training, and in-depth resources to help you build your eye tracking knowledge and get more from your research.
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Need help with your research eye tracker or one of our software tools? Find product documentation, troubleshooting guidance, downloads and answers from Tobii support.
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Tobii Academy is free to all Tobii professional customers and simply requires a Tobii Connect account. Learn from Tobii experts through courses designed to help you develop practical eye tracking knowledge.
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Find learn articles, research reports, webinars, case studies, and expert guidance covering eye tracking technology, methodology, and applications.
Whether you're planning a research study, exploring a new application, or looking for the right eye tracking technology, we'll help you find the next step.