User testing: eye tracking versus think aloud
At cxpartners we run both eye tracking and think aloud user testing. As a consultant that runs both types of research, I’m often asked which gets better results. The answer depends on what information you are looking for.
Eye tracking is great for showing what a user can’t tell you
(or might not want to tell you). Seeing where a users gaze is led can be helpful for creating efficient page layouts. It also gives you good clear data; ‘x many people looked at this button, y ignored this copy completely’.
But on it’s own eye tracking can’t tell you why participants looked where they did. An element on the page that is looked at frequently doesn’t always mean it’s a successful element. Participants may be fixated on it because they are confused by it, don’t like it or are thinking of something else altogether.
This is where think aloud becomes a great benefit
Talking to users about why they did what they did helps us understand their thought process, allowing us to design more usable products that meet their expectations.
However, what users say can sometimes be different from what they really think or do. Luckily, between us we have done so many user tests that we can spot when a test participant is not giving us the full picture, and we can react to this and dig into what they really think.
To put it simply
Eye tracking is great for getting clear cut results with a larger number of shorter tests. For example testing alternate designs for key pages to see which performs better.
Think aloud is great for deeper investigations with fewer participants and longer tests, going through a large site or a booking/payment process.
Neither method of reserach is intrinsically better than the other, so we work with our clients to understand which method of research suits their needs best. Sometimes we will do a mix of both techniques at different stages of a project to ensure we get the best quality results we can.
If you want to know more about eye tracking, or think aloud protocol, please call us on +44 (0) 117 946 3930 or email info@cxpartners.co.uk
About the author
Steve loves taking user test results and putting them in to design solutions. He has a background in design and media that he puts in to practice when he creates prototypes to test with. Steve enjoys making Flash based computer games, that have bizarre storylines! Email Steve, or call +44 (0)117 946 3930
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Do you mean you use both simultaneously ? You see what users are looking at the same time (on your screen) and can directly ask why they look there or there ? Or do you register the eye-tracking and watch it afterwards only ?
Hi Regine.
The test moderator doesn’t see what the user is looking at during the test, but anyone watching the test from the viewing room can. This gives the note taker and client the full picture and allows them to feed insights back to the moderator to discuss with the user. Once all the tests are complete we compile the data from all the users to back up our findings during testing.