Investigating User Attention and Interest in Websites

Users’ attention was investigated by eye tracking, combined with reported rating of areas of interest, and free recall memory of six operational websites. The sites differed in the pattern of fixations recorded depending on their layout structure. Fixation durations and areas of interest were generally correlated but exceptions were present in both directions. The sites which were rated more attractive overall had an open layout and high density fixations on animations. The sites which were preferred overall had column layout, and content with brand seemed to be the more important determinants for preference. Fixation densities were closely related to reported user interest for 4/6 sites but not for two e-commerce sites. Reported attention, positive memory and overall preference were weakly related.