The Enhanced Restricted Focus Viewer

Abstract

The Enhanced Restricted Focus Viewer (ERFV) is a unique software tool for tracking the visual attention of users in hyperlinked environments, such as Web sites. The software collects data, such as mouse clicks along with the path of users' visual attention, as they browse a site. Unlike traditional eye-tracking procedures, the ERFV requires no hardware to operate other than a personal computer. In addition to time and cost savings, the ERFV allows the administration of usability testing to groups of participants simultaneously. A laboratory test comparing the ERFV to a hardware-based eye-tracking system showed that the two methods compared favorably in terms of how well they track a user's visual attention. The value of the ERFV as a usability testing tool was demonstrated through an experiment that evaluated two Web sites that were equivalent in content but that differed in terms of design. Although several open issues concerning the ERFV still remain, some of these issues are being addressed through ongoing research efforts.