Although eye tracking has been present in the world of science for a long time, it still seems to be a futuristic wonder. So let’s break down some stereotypes about this technology! Today, we’ll help you choose the perfect eye-tracking tool for your project. Ready?
Let’s start with the basics. Currently, there are two types of eye-tracking tools available on the market. Hardware and software. They are both specially designed to capture and record eye movements.
Hardware eye trackers are also called wearable. It’s usually a pair of glasses or goggles (but there are also screen-based devices). For a long time, these kinds of eye trackers were used only in specially designed labs, but now they are more versatile.
Gaze tracking software, on the other hand, utilizes the existing built-in cameras in devices such as smartphones, tablets, or laptops to track eye movements.
So what are the pros and cons of both solutions? Let’s check.
Pros and Cons of Hardware Eye Trackers
Pros:
- Quantitative Data: These devices provide quantitative data, allowing for objective analysis and comparisons between different participants.
- Real-Time Feedback: Some eye-tracking devices offer real-time feedback, allowing researchers to monitor participants’ eye movements during experimental tasks.
- Field test: The most advanced devices allow you to carry out tests in the field and not just monitor what is happening on the screen. With such a tool, you can get a first-person perspective and finally understand what element of your product gets the most attention.
- Precision: Hardware eye trackers are known for their high accuracy. If you need an eye tracker for very detailed research, choose this device.
Cons:
- Price: Due to their advanced technology and high precision, eye-tracking devices can be quite expensive. This can make it challenging for smaller research projects with limited budgets to access this technology.
- Physical Setup: Setting up eye tracking devices often requires specialized equipment and a controlled environment, which can be time-consuming and may limit the flexibility of research settings.
- Invasive: Wearable eye tracking devices require participants to wear specific glasses or contact lenses, which may affect their natural eye movement patterns and potentially influence the results.
Software Eye Trackers: Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Low cost: Eye tracking software eliminates the need for costly hardware, making it a more affordable solution for researchers and developers.
- Convenience: With software-based eye tracking, participants can use their own devices for research studies, offering more flexibility and convenience. Learn more about one of the most popular tools in this area: Real Eye
- Non-Invasive: Software-based eye tracking does not require any additional gear or equipment, minimizing potential disruptions to natural eye movements.
- User friendly: Online eye tracking platforms now feature user-friendly interfaces that allow researchers to set up and conduct experiments without needing extensive technical expertise.
Cons:
- Lower Accuracy: Compared to dedicated eye tracking devices, software-based eye tracking often offers lower accuracy and precision, resulting in some limitations in data analysis and interpretation.
- Limited Features: Eye tracking software may lack advanced features provided by specialized eye tracking devices, such as pupil diameter measurement or high-speed gaze analysis.
- The control issue: Eye tracking studies can be affected by uncontrollable variables in the participant’s environment. Researchers have limited control over the surroundings, which makes it difficult to manage these variables.
What Kind of Research Do You Have in Mind?
Deciding whether to use an online or wearable eye tracker can be a bit tricky, but don’t worry! It all depends on what you’re trying to achieve with your research and the specific context of your study. Let us give you some examples:
When to Use Wearable Eye Tracker?
Virtual Reality Research: Can deliver some really deep insights into how people behave in virtual worlds. It’s super important for designing and developing VR stuff, but remember: you need VR goggles to conduct such research.
Training Simulators: Eye tracking glasses are used a lot in professional training programs, especially for pilots and doctors.
Shopper studies: If you need to understand how people buy (or not) your product in stores, it’s the perfect research method for you.
Psychological Studies: This kind of study helps researchers to understand how people react to different stimuli. It’s also helpful to diagnose schizophrenia, ADHD, and autism.
Medicine: Eye tracking is very useful in modern medicine. It assesses patients’ vision-related issues, assists people in recovering from strokes or traumatic brain injuries, or even assists in communication for patients with speech and language impairments.
When to Use Online Eye Tracker?
Marketing: Thanks to online eye trackers, marketers can test if their banner or video is noticeable and engaging. With tools like that, conducting A/B testing is easier than ever!
User Interface Tests: For designers, it’s important to understand how users interact with their projects. Now, they can make sure that all the buttons are in the right places, the copy has a proper length, and the payment process is as simple as it can be.
Education: Software eye trackers are also used to test how students respond to online learning platforms. It’s crucial nowadays when many courses and lessons happen online.
Just Few More Questions
Still not sure which eye tracker to choose? Ask yourself a few simple questions that will help you make the ultimate choice:
- What’s your budget? Hardware eye trackers are more expensive than online ones.
- Where do you want to use your eye tracker? Software trackers can be used anywhere around the world; participants just need to have a simple webcam. If you want to conduct research with a wearable device, you’ll need a controlled environment.
- What kind of research do you want to do? As we wrote in previous paragraphs, you should match your research to the tool you are planning to use.
- What level of precision do you require? Some studies require millisecond-level accuracy for studying rapid eye movements, while others may focus on broader gaze patterns.
- What is your level of technical expertise? Some eye trackers may require advanced technical skills for setup, calibration, and data analysis. Choose a system that aligns with your knowledge, or look for a tool with necessary training and support.
As you can see, the range of eye trackers is very wide, and you can certainly find the perfect solution for yourself. Whether you are planning to conduct marketing, market, psychological, or even medical research, there are devices on the market that have been created with your needs in mind.
Remember that the eye tracking industry is constantly evolving. New ideas and ways to improve the efficiency of these devices are developed almost every day. Just recently, only expensive and difficult-to-use eye trackers were available. Today, you can choose from a broad scope of options, from goggles that you can use to perform customer experience tests in the store to software that will test your website. Eye-mazing!
