Marketing Students at Ohio State Introduced to Eye Tracking Technology
Undergraduate students in the School of Communication at Ohio State University recently got a unique introduction to the science of eye tracking in a recent presentation given by two instructors at Applied Science Laboratory (ASL). ASL is the world’s leading developer of eye tracking technology.
Bedford, MA (PRWEB) May 19, 2005 -- Undergraduate students in the School of
Communication at Ohio State University recently got a unique introduction to the
science of eye tracking in a recent presentation given by two instructors at
Applied Science Laboratory (ASL). ASL is the world’s leading developer of eye
tracking technology.
“We wanted to make them aware that they could use
eye tracking technology to analyze a web page, for example, and evaluate not
only the appeal of the content, but also the functionality and effectiveness of
its design based upon how viewers examine a page, how long they view certain
elements of the page, and where the viewer’s eye travels and fixates in the
course of seeing a page for the first time” said Virginia Salem, ASL’s Director
of Customer Relations. One use, she said, might be to help determine if banner
ad placement influences attention and/or behavioral differences.
The same
evaluation techniques can be applied to print media and advertising as well.
Knowledge of eye tracking gives students marketable skills that they can take
with them to a marketing or advertising agency and be able to apply it to visual
and graphics design principles. “It’s an up and coming science” Salem says,
“with many applications across a wide variety of industries such as medical and
aerospace as well as marketing studies.”
The course, entitled
“Investigating Communication through Interactive Technologies” was developed by
Professor Matthew S. Eastin, Ph.D., and utilized a remote eye tracking system
manufactured by ASL. Developing this class and working with ASL has been great,”
Eastin says. This class gives students unique research opportunities. The
eye-tracking unit has been a great way to demonstrate how people search through
information online. Through this class and working with ASL, students have begun
to develop the skills needed to work with eye-tracking units in and outside the
academic setting. This quarter we have a student using the eye-tracker to see
how images influence recall when reading a news story online. Looking to future
use, Eastin anticipates students will use eye-tracking to better understand how
and what information video game players attend to during game play.”
ASL
manufactures two different types of eye tracking systems, head-mounted systems
for use in situations where the subject must have unrestricted head movement,
and remote video eye tracking systems for use in situations where head mounted
optics are not necessary and the stimulus presented to the subject is limited to
a single surface, such as a computer screen. The University owns a remote unit,
which is typically mounted on a desk beside, for example, a computer monitor,
and tracks the subject’s eye movements as the monitor is viewed.
Eye
tracking systems have a wide range of medical research applications and could
have significant potential for early detection and treatment of various
disorders. Eye tracking systems provide an important design evaluation and
research tool for computer displays used in aviation, aerospace, defense and
industry. Applications include design of simulators, computer displays and
control panels used in air traffic facilities, aircraft and cockpits, vehicles
and complex manufacturing displays. Other important applications in
communications technology encompass advertising, packaging and publication
design, software development and complex traffic signals and
signs.
Applied Science Laboratories has been a pioneer in the examination
of the human eye’s movements and pupil dynamics for over 30 years. ASL was the
first company to develop a head-mounted eye tracker, eye/head integration,
parallax-free optics, and many other features that are industry standard. ASL’s
current range of computer-based eye movement measurement equipment has
eye-tracking applications in moving vehicles, sports, WEB design, pupilometry
and many more. ASL currently has tracking systems in the fields of medicine,
cognitive psychology, training, simulation, biomechanics and human factors
research. For more information, visit www.a-s-l.com or contact the company at 175 Middlesex
Turnpike, Bedford, Massachusetts, 01730 USA, Tel. (781) 275-4000 Fax. (781)
275-3388.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/5/prweb241844.htm