Mobile Eye Tracking in UX Design

Eye tracking is now more accessible to UX professionals than ever before. Recent advancements in technology have made eye tracking less expensive, much easier to use, and flexible enough to track a variety of devices. However, few UX professionals are aware that eye tracking isn’t just for big screens anymore. Eye tracking technology and its uses are evolving.

The ability to accurately and unobtrusively conduct eyetracking research on a mobile device (smart phones, tablets, etc.) was impossible until only very recently. Mobile devices are becoming a dominant interface for our users and we need to be able understand what attracts their attention and what they see when interacting with these devices.

Conducting mobile eye tracking research can be complex. Eye tracking needs to be carefully considered during the planning of a user research study, particularly when evaluating mobile devices. Testing a mobile device with eye tracking can be daunting if the study objectives are not carefully selected, and if plans have not been made to make the necessary accommodations required to obtain reliable and accurate data.

Mobile experiences are highly contextual and it can be difficult to recreate the mobile user’s environment within a lab setting. It is important to understand the different eye tracking configurations available to create a balance between a realistic environment and the need to collect comparable data across participants.

This presentation will empower attendees with the knowledge and experiences necessary to conduct eye tracking on mobile devices as well as a clear understanding of the benefits of applying this technology to their user research projects.

Your Speaker

Andrew Schall has worked with numerous public and private organizations to use eye tracking as part of their user-centered design process including organizations such as Aflac, Bloomberg, Fossil, GlaxoSmithKline, NASA, PBS, and Rovio. His eye tracking projects have ranged from understanding how children interact with online multimedia to evaluating advanced search and retrieval systems.

Andrew has pioneered new ways to collect, analyze, and present eye tracking data. He is currently working on strategies to integrate eye tracking data with other user research metrics for a more holistic understanding of the user’s experience.

Andrew has formerly the eye tracking guru and trainer at Human Factors International and has conducted his Eye Tracking Bootcamp with several organizations including Comcast and GlaxoSmithKline. Andrew recently co-authored a new book called Eye Tracking in User Experience Design that addresses the applications of eye tracking in user experience research.

He is a frequent presenter on eye tracking, speaking at conferences such as Human Computer Interaction International, User Experience Professionals Association, and User Focus. Andrew has over 10 years of experience as a UX researcher and designer and is currently Principal Researcher at Key Lime Interactive.

Andrew received his B.S. in Information Technology & New Media from the Rochester Institute of Technology, M.S. in Interaction Design & Information Architecture from the University of Baltimore, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Human-Centered Computing at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Timeline

• 630 - 715 PM: Pizza and Networking

• 715 - 730 PM: General Announcements

• 730 - 830 PM: Andrew Schall talk

A special thanks to Improving Enterprises for supplying pizza, drinks, and our venue.