I admit, I wanted to be swept away with my co-host's knowledge of eye-tracking technology for episode 32. I wasn't trying to avoid researching the topic. In fact, I consumed as much time as usual in my pursuit of a range of talking points. Yet sometimes, I enjoy playing devil's advocate more than I feel the need to fill a show with bullet points.
My job as a host is to cajole my guest (in this case, my permanent guest Rick Huckstep) into going off-script, which is where the light shines brightest. Playing devil's advocate often fools people into thinking that what I say is what I believe, but sometimes it isn't what I believe at all. Good discourse (and a good podcast) isn't an echo chamber. It's a sounding board for exploring topics with an eye on what others might think. Anyway, now and again I will approach a show with some talking points and allow the discussion to unfold regardless of the planned (or expected) direction. That's what makes it fun!
Enjoy episode 32 of Big Tech Little Tech. As usual, there's more content in our video version. If you're a Patreon subscriber, you can spend £2 a month to get extended video versions and transcripts.
Eye-tracking companies
Ergoneers
EyeTech Digital Systems
Gazepoint
ISCAN
LC Technologies
SMI
EyeLink
Smart Eye
The Eye Tribe
Pupil Labs
Mirametrix
Tobii Pro
Quibim
NovaSight
Somalytics, Inc.
Physical Sciences Inc
Varjo Technologies
Oxehealth
Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM)
Who is the most well-known?
Tobii Pro is considered the most commercially successful eye-tracking company.
Types of eye-tracking
The two types of eye-tracking are screen-based and wearable.
Typical use cases
1. Research: Eye-tracking technology is widely used in research fields such as psychology, psycholinguistics and marketing to study visual attention, social interaction and human behaviour. It can also be used in academic and scientific research to study cognitive processes.
It provides insights into consumer behaviour, such as what draws their attention, what they engage with, and what they ignore.
To optimise brand performance.
2. Medicine: Eye-tracking technology is used in medicine to study eye movements and assess the impact of different aspects of packaging and improve their visual presentation. It is also used to study neurological and psychiatric disorders.
3. Usability testing: Eye-tracking technology is used in usability testing to evaluate the usability of websites and user interfaces. It helps researchers understand which elements of a webpage or an advertisement draw people's attention, what they engage with, and what they ignore.
Improve navigation.
Discover pain points and friction.
Drive conversions.
4. Human-computer interaction: Eye-tracking technology is used as an input device for human-computer interaction. It can be used for enhancing human-computer interaction by using the eyes for navigation and controls.
5. Gaming: Eye-tracking technology is used in gaming to enhance the gaming experience and improve game design.
6. Driving: Eye-tracking technology can provide important insights into the driver's behaviour, such as gaze patterns, attention allocation and visual distractions. It can detect sleepiness.
Terminology
Gaze points and fixations refer to the number of times a user looks at a particular area of a website and how long they spend looking at it.
Sequences measure the order in which things are looked at.
Entry time is how long it takes to arrive at a specific point.
Dwell time is how long someone looks at something.
Revisitor refers to returning to a specific thing.
Thanks for reading. Eye-tracking is a technology that's been around for quite some time, yet progress goes largely under the mainstream radar. Let's revisit the topic again, especially when the Apple Vision Pro gets going.
Until then, stay safe, keep smiling and enjoy the details.
