Practice eye tracking vocabulary: fixations, saccades, heat maps, attention patterns, CTA visibility, and AOI (area of interest) analysis in UX research.
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In eye tracking research, what is a 'fixation'?
A fixation is a period during which the eye is relatively still and focused on a specific point — this is when visual information is actually processed. Fixations typically last 150-600ms. Eye tracking studies measure where fixations occur, how long they last, and in what order — revealing what users actually look at vs. what designers assumed they would look at.
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What is a 'saccade' in eye tracking?
Saccades are the fast eye jumps between fixation points — the eye effectively 'teleports' from one location to another in 20-200ms, and no visual processing happens during the movement. Eye tracking data consists of alternating fixations (processing) and saccades (movement). Saccade patterns reveal how users scan a page — in an F-pattern, Z-pattern, or other scanning strategies.
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'Heat map shows where users look.' What does a heat map represent in eye tracking?
Eye tracking heat maps aggregate fixation data from multiple participants into a single visualisation. Hot spots (red) show elements that attracted the most attention and longest gaze time — these are highly visible. Cold spots (blue/no colour) show areas that were ignored. Heat maps reveal whether users notice key design elements like navigation, CTAs, and value propositions.
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'The user never looked at the CTA.' What does this eye tracking finding indicate?
If a CTA (Call to Action) receives no fixations, it's effectively invisible to users — they're not looking at it. This is a serious design problem: the button may exist but if users never see it, it won't drive conversions. Eye tracking findings like this prompt redesign: move the CTA within the natural scan path, increase contrast, add whitespace around it, or increase its visual weight.
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What is 'AOI (Area of Interest) analysis' in eye tracking research?
AOI analysis defines labelled regions on the stimulus (e.g., 'header navigation', 'hero image', 'CTA button', 'price') and calculates eye tracking metrics for each region: number of fixations, total dwell time, time to first fixation, and percentage of participants who looked at it. This enables statistical comparison between areas and between design variants — for example, 'users fixate on the price area before the CTA'.
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During a code review of the new user onboarding flow, Sarah notices that the heatmap data consistently shows users' gaze fixating on the 'Forgot Password?' link before even seeing the login form. What does this suggest about potential usability issues? heatmap
Heatmaps in eye tracking don't directly measure conversion rates or technical issues. Instead, they reveal where users' attention is naturally drawn. The fixation on 'Forgot Password?' suggests that users are more concerned with account recovery than the intended onboarding process itself – a key insight for improving design.
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In a Slack channel discussing A/B testing results for a new mobile app UI, Mark states: 'The data shows a high level of dwell time on the 'Add to Cart' button in the control group, but virtually no eye movements towards the price display.' What is Mark most likely referring to? dwell_time
Dwell time represents the duration a user focuses their gaze on a specific element. Mark's observation suggests that users were intensely focused on the 'Add to Cart' button, possibly because they weren't immediately seeing or understanding the price – highlighting a potential disconnect between what they're looking at and what they need to consider.
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You are writing a PR description for a change that includes AOI (Area of Interest) analysis data from user testing. Which statement best describes the purpose of this type of analysis? AOI
AOI analysis is a core technique in eye tracking research. It doesn't focus on overall traffic or backend performance. Instead, it specifically maps where users look—the 'Areas of Interest'—to understand what aspects of the interface are most salient and engaging for them.
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During a standup meeting, David reports: 'Our eye tracking data showed users consistently looking *away* from the primary call to action (CTA) on the checkout page. The average fixation duration on the CTA itself was very short.' What is the most significant implication of this finding? fixation_duration
Fixation duration is key here. A short fixation on the CTA implies that users aren't actively engaging with it – perhaps because they don't perceive it as relevant or clear in relation to their goal of completing a purchase. This strongly suggests a problem with the CTA's design or placement.
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You are reviewing API logs for an eye-tracking SDK and find frequent alerts related to 'lost fixations'. What does this typically indicate? lost_fixation
Lost fixations are errors in eye-tracking data caused by inaccuracies in tracking the user's gaze. This often arises from sensor noise, poor calibration, or issues with the SDK itself – meaning the system isn't reliably recording where the user is looking.
This exercise, "Eye Tracking and Attention Research Vocabulary", tests your understanding of ux research vocabulary and phrasing through 10 multiple-choice questions drawn from real workplace scenarios.
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Who is this UX Research exercise for?
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Exercises like this one are active recall drills — you have to choose the correct term or phrasing yourself, which builds retention faster than passively reading a definition.
Where can I find more UX Research exercises?
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