ReseaRch MethoD · ReseaRch DeliveRable 40 eyetracking Eyetracking gathers detailed technical information on exactly where and for how long participants are looking--and not looking--when using an interface or interacting with products. Although eyetracking was established for research on the human visual system and in cognitive psychology, 1 the technology has served well to meet the needs of researchers in human computer interaction and product design. Technological advances have further improved opportunities for use of the method, reducing the obtrusiveness of equipment for research participants, and lowering the cost and improving results for researchers. eye movements tracked during reading or image-gaze tasks are identified for moments of fixation, and rapid movements from point to point, or saccades, between fixations. eyetracking technology traces and documents these patterns, generating data for interface and design evaluations, and is widely applied in usability studies. In early eyetracking research participants wore specially designed contact lenses. Current research uses optical methods to capture corneal reflections of infrared light on video using sophisticated cameras. new technology applies small sensing electrodes around the eyes, using electrical signals to precisely detect movements. As the user reads text and images, fixations and saccades are recorded as an accurate picture of where the eyes travel and rest, creating a scan pattern of where they are looking, and where they are not. While typical tasks involve reading display monitors, eyetracking can also be used to record the eye movements 1. rayner, K. "eye Movements in reading and Information Processing: 20 Years of research." psychological bulletin (1998): 124, 372­422. Further Reading Bojko, Aga. eye tracking the user experience. new York: rosenfeld Media, 2012.