More than pretty colors: This "heatmap" generated by Eyetools software from the Eyetrack III study shows aggregate eye fixations and viewing of a news website homepage. (Click image to learn about heatmaps.)

Welcome to Eyetrack III

How much do we really know about how people read news websites? We can track their behavior clicking through a site visit. We can collect personal information. We can ask them questions. But that presents a small part of the full picture. To get the rest, we need to climb inside their heads and look through their eyes as they view online news sites -- to peer into their minds and see patterns that even they don't consciously see.

That, remarkably, is what we've done. The Poynter Institute, the Estlow Center for Journalism and New Media, and Eyetools Inc. in late 2003 took 46 Internet users and looked through their eyes -- utilizing sophisticated and non-intrusive "eyetracking" equipment -- as they each spent an hour reading news websites and multimedia news content. We used the Eyetools Analysis Solution Suite to capture and process the data and looked to the company's experts to help us compile the initial findings. What we learned is the subject of this website.

So what might you do with all these findings? Can you extrapolate from the behavior of our 46 participants to the much larger audience of the website you manage? The simple answer: "No, putting this research to use is more complicated than that."

We've done our best to simplify the complications, though. First, we recommend you read Howard Finberg's characterization of Eyetracking as a tool rather than a solution. Then we suggest you seek a more detailed understanding of how and what Eyetracking actually measures from Eyetools president Colin Johnson. Finally, browse the FAQ -– and additional links on the left side of this page –- in pursuit of additional info. Please send your additional questions to the researchers by using the Ask the Eyetrackers page.