What Eye-Tracking Studies Reveal About How We Read Online

There is something definite that eye tracking studies have shown us about online reading: people tend to do scanning prior to careful reading. The person's eyes look for such things as headings, numbers, bold text, links, and short sections that seem to give an answer to the question raised. It's usual that careful reading starts only after the person finds out that this page contains something worth their attention.

Such behavior is not evidence of people losing the skill of concentration. There is a task that motivates people to come to the page and look for some price, definition, date, instructions, comparisons, or quick answers.

Some aspects of web page design can make this process easier, while some others can make it difficult. Well-built headings and paragraphs help in directing the reader's attention, while large text makes them create their own route.

What Eye Tracking Actually Measures

An eye tracker registers where the person looks while visiting a website. In addition, it shows fixations – points where the eyes remain fixed, and fast movements between fixations. Research can analyze results in the form of heat maps, gaze plots, etc.

A five-year literature review conducted by Nielsen Norman Group about online reading included five studies completed over 13 years. In total, more than 500 people and more than 750 hours of eye tracking data were analyzed. The authors concluded that general reading habits remained constant despite changes in websites, monitors, and portable devices.

This research was a desk study based on existing findings about eye tracking and usability of websites written for this article by EssayPro. Special attention should be paid to students' reading habits. Adam Jason, an educationalist at an essay writing service, EssayPro, is particularly interested in it. 

For example, a student scans dates, names, headings and evidence, before making a decision whether or not this source will be read carefully. In times of intense studying, a student may say, “Write my essay for me” to manage the writing process and save time for reading and analyzing sources. Specific goals play an important role in such reading processes.

Most People Skim before They Start Reading

Studies conducted during the early stages of web usability discovered that 79% of the test participants skimmed through the new webpage compared with only 16% reading word by word. This study was done at the very beginning of the internet, but even the eye-tracking studies made afterward confirmed the same habit: the readers first find useful cues.

Further research conducted by Nielsen Norman Group estimated the number of words that could be read by the visitors during their average visit on a page. During the visit to the page with 593 words, the visitor would have enough time to read 28% of the words. Considering all the activities that can be included in such a visit, like navigation and looking at the images and links, a more precise estimation is about 20%. The whole story can be found in How Little Do Users Read?.

These percentages are just a general rule and do not apply to each person and website separately. The student preparing for the exam would read almost everything. The online shopper calculating the delivery cost would look only at one sentence.

The Four Main Online Reading Patterns

Eye-tracking heatmaps do not always form the same shape. Researchers have identified several common paths, each linked to a different goal or page design.

The Nielsen Norman Group’s explanation of scanning patterns describes the layer-cake pattern as one of the most effective forms of scanning. Readers move through the headings like layers in a cake, stop at the section that matches their goal, and then read the related paragraph.

The Famous F-Pattern Is a Warning

One of the most popular eye movement findings from web studies is the famous F-pattern. In the case of left-to-right languages, people usually start near the upper-left point. Then they scan some lines of text, move down, scan fewer lines of text, and move further down along the left-hand side.

But the F-pattern does not imply that each website should be made in the form of an F shape. It usually happens when people are faced with walls of text that have no proper orientation elements. Attention is paid to the first lines and the first words; other texts located on the right and at the bottom of the webpage could remain unseen.

The F-pattern was discovered by the Nielsen Norman Group during their updated web eye movement study, which happened on both desktops and mobile screens. The research also showed that the F-pattern could appear in the case of reading right-to-left languages. According to the researchers, F-scanning is caused by attempts to get information with minimum efforts.

Better website design provides eyes with clear stop points like headings, highlighted meaningful text, short passages, lists, etc.

Headings Act as Road Signs

A heading must let the reader know what to expect beneath it. While catchy headings make a nice impression, vague wording leaves the reader guessing about what comes next.

Look at these two examples:

• “Confidently Moving Forward”
• “Five Tips for Enhancing Your Reading Comprehension Skills Online”

The first heading may apply to anything under the sun. However, the second one clearly states what the content is all about. Someone looking for tips for improving their reading skills would be able to recognize their relevance immediately.

Numerals, Links and Highlighted Words Grab Attention

The spotted reading process occurs because people's eyes make jumps from the elements that attract attention. Dates, percentages, prices, names, capital letters, bold words and links can be seen as the visual targets.

It might be useful. A person who is trying to find out the cost of studies at particular universities will probably want to see the tuition, the date of application deadline and the amount of scholarship. Good formatting makes it possible to see this information without reading ten paragraphs.

On the other hand, there will be too much information for processing when half a page is highlighted. It is also true for the links. According to the research conducted on skim reading and hyperlinks available at PubMed, links can serve as indicators of important information and help people navigate a website. However, skim reading might lead to insufficient processing of the surrounding text.

Thus, links have to be clear. “Read the full eye-tracking study” provides more information than “Click here”.

Conclusion

According to studies of eye movements, the internet reader is an active decision-maker who looks for cues concerning the relevant, high-quality, and effort-intensive information. People scan the pages because there is no limit to choice on the web and because most visits have a purpose.

Good web pages recognize the activity of their audience by giving clear headings, useful cues, well-defined paragraphs, and supportable claims. Good web pages also offer motivated people enough substance so that they can go from scanning to understanding.

People will continue to skip portions of web pages – but good writing will ensure they do it in the right places!