Tracking Eyes Online

Usability guru Jakob Nielsen’s new Alertbox column reports his latest findings on how users read web pages.

According to Nielsen’s eyetracking study, users most frequently scan pages in a pattern that roughly resembles an “F”:

• First, they read in a horizontal movement across the upper content area
• Then eyeballs commonly move in a second horizontal pattern (the “f’s” lower bar)
• Finally, they scan the left side in a vertical pattern

The summary includes heatmap screen shots of how users scan three common types of pages. It’s fascinating stuff.

Nielsen cited several implications that support web writing fundamentals (including further evidence on why the inverted pyramid is still alive). Scannable text – filled with bullets, subheads, concise headlines and the important information listed first – remains critical to attracting eyeballs.

As always, Nielsen is only one perspective on usability. He offers influential, well-researched suggestions – but he often represents one extreme of the usability spectrum. It’s good to balance his findings with other studies and viewpoints in the field.