Where do people look on webpages?

1. 1
Tim Fidgeon
@timfidgeon
timfidgeon@gmail.com
• First impressions = formed in 50 milliseconds
• 20% of page content = read (on average)
How do people read online?
http://www.nature.com/news/2006/060109/full/news060109-13.html
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/percent-text-read.html

2. 2
Tim Fidgeon
@timfidgeon
timfidgeon@gmail.com
‘Get the gist’ behaviour
75% of users
• F pattern
• Golden triangle
Scanning
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.htm

3. 3
Tim Fidgeon
@timfidgeon
timfidgeon@gmail.com
Digital displays suffer from…
• Resolution & glare
• 25% slower
• Impatience & cost-of-moving
• ‘Lean forward’-mode
Why do people scan?
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.htm
http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-for-senior-citizens/
Exceptions: elderly & low-literacy
• 65+ years (vs. 21-55 years)…
• 40% slower at using websites
• 100% more likely to give up on a
task
• 50% more likely to self-blame

4. 4
Tim Fidgeon
@timfidgeon
timfidgeon@gmail.com
80% of users’ time =
above the fold
(i.e. before scrolling)
Scrolling
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/scrolling-attention.html

5. 5
Tim Fidgeon
@timfidgeon
timfidgeon@gmail.com
Scrolling
http://blog.clicktale.com/2007/12/04/clicktale-scrolling-research-report-v20-part-2-visitor-attention-and-web-page-exposure/

6. 6
Tim Fidgeon
@timfidgeon
timfidgeon@gmail.com
Emails
http://www.nngroup.com/articles/email-newsletters-inbox-congestion/
• 19% of content = read
• Introductory text is skipped =
67%
• First 2 words of headings =
critical

7. 7
Tim Fidgeon
@timfidgeon
timfidgeon@gmail.com
Mobile
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/mobile-content-comprehension.html
http://www.smivision.com/fileadmin/user_upload/downloads/case_studies/smi_cs_mobiledevices.pdf
Challenging material = +100% difficult on a
phone
• Smaller ‘window’ on content
• Memory load
• Context of use
• Time-pressure, distractions & lighting
Text = scanned
• Scan text = 58%
• Headings only = 37%
• Read text = 5%

8. 8
Tim Fidgeon
@timfidgeon
timfidgeon@gmail.com
• Impatient
• Impulsive
• Distracted
How do people behave online?