Eye-tracking is one of the most widely used neuromarketing techniques in both market research and UX research. It enables us to design more intuitive digital products, create more effective advertising and design more appealing packaging. And all this without the need for a large-scale campaign. Today we’ll look at how eye-tracking is used in different types of studies.
Eye-tracking records and analyses a person’s eye movements to understand how they visually interact with a visual stimulus, whether it be an advert, a website, a product or anything else. This analysis reveals which elements attract the most attention, how long each area is viewed for, and in what order the various elements in view are visually explored.
Eye-tracking can use specialised devices, such as glasses with sensors, which measure eye movements and pupil dilation. When tests are conducted online, these tools are generally not necessary, as most devices have a camera that can be used to capture eye movements.
Eye-tracking identifies two key components. Firstly, fixations, which are the moments when the gaze pauses to process a specific area. They indicate interest and attention. And secondly, saccadic movements, those rapid movements between fixations that occur when the user is searching for or exploring something.
Data obtained through eye-tracking is often represented using heatmaps – which show the most viewed areas in colour – or visual trajectories, which represent the order and path of eye movements.
Eye-tracking provides an objective insight into how people visually process information – something they cannot always explain in words or recall accurately. Unlike other methods based on self-reports, eye-tracking shows which elements actually capture attention, for how long and in what sequence, providing direct evidence of unconscious behaviour.
The fact is that much of the decision-making by consumers and users occurs quickly and unconsciously. Eye-tracking helps to understand these automatic processes, revealing whether a design, an advert or an interface guides attention as expected or whether, on the contrary, users become distracted, confused or ignore key information. In this way, it allows us to assess the actual effectiveness of messages, visual hierarchies and interactive elements.
Furthermore, eye-tracking helps to identify problems that other methods do not easily detect, such as difficulties in finding information, visual overload or unintuitive navigation paths. This is essential for improving usability, optimising the user experience and increasing the efficiency of visual communication. In addition, eye-tracking can be combined with surveys, qualitative interviews or other methodologies to gain a comprehensive understanding of people’s behaviour.
Eye-tracking is a highly versatile technique that can be applied to a wide range of objectives where understanding what people see and focus on adds value for the organisations using it. Let’s look at some examples.
Eye-tracking is used in packaging tests to analyse how consumers perceive and visually process packaging in real or simulated shopping contexts. Its main aim is to understand whether the packaging fulfils its role of attracting attention, promoting brand recognition and making it easier for consumers to choose it over other alternatives.
In a packaging test, participants are presented with the product on a physical shelf, a simulated shelf or in a digital environment that replicates the point of sale. As they observe and compare different options, an eye-tracking system records where their gaze is directed, how long it lingers on each element of the packaging, and in what order they scan the information. This reveals whether the packaging stands out from the competition, whether the brand is quickly identified, and which parts of the design are most visible, such as the logo, colours, images or key messages.
Thanks to this data, researchers can assess the clarity of the packaging’s visual hierarchy and identify potential issues, such as important information that goes unnoticed, text that is overlooked, or graphic elements that distract attention. It is also possible to compare different packaging proposals to identify which one most effectively facilitates the consumer’s choice at the point of sale.
Eye-tracking is often combined with interviews. This allows us to link what people look at with what they understand, remember and ultimately choose, providing a more comprehensive picture of how the packaging performs before it is launched on the market.
Eye-tracking is used in advertising pre-tests to assess how people visually process and engage with a piece of work before its launch, whether it be a print, digital, audiovisual or social media advertisement. The aim is to check whether the creative manages to capture attention, convey the message and highlight key elements in a context as close as possible to the real world.
During a pre-test, participants are shown the advert in a controlled environment that can simulate a digital feed, a website, a magazine or a video ad block. As they view the stimulus, the eye-tracking system records which parts of the advert attract their gaze, how long they look at them and in what order they scan them. This makes it possible to identify whether the advert is actually being seen, whether the visual focus matches the creative intent and whether the main elements—such as the brand, the product, the headline or the call to action—receive sufficient attention.
Using this data, researchers can identify common problems in advertising communication, such as creative work that grabs attention but fails to give the brand sufficient visibility, messages that are read too late or not at all, or designs that cause visual distraction. In the case of audiovisual adverts, eye-tracking allows us to analyse how attention evolves over time and whether the key moments of the advert coincide with peaks in visual attention.
As in other studies, eye-tracking is combined with declarative techniques such as interviews using the full standard set of pre-test questions to assess recall, consideration, purchase intent or message comprehension. This integration allows visual attention to be linked to the comprehension, impact and recall of the advert, enabling the identification of the key factors needed to optimise the piece before investing in the media plan.
Eye-tracking is also commonly applied to shelf layout design. It helps to understand how shoppers visually scan the shelves and how they make decisions when faced with a large number of options. In this way, the organisation of the shelf can be optimised to facilitate searching, give visibility to brands and encourage the selection of the desired options.
In this type of study, participants interact with a real shelf display, a physical mock-up or a virtual simulation that replicates the point of sale. Whilst observing the shelf, eye-tracking records gaze patterns, revealing which areas of the display receive the most attention, how much time is spent on each product block, and in what order the different sections are explored. This allows for the identification of ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ areas of the shelf, as well as the shopper’s natural visual path. Based on this data, researchers can assess whether the placement of a brand or category is effective, whether key products are spotted quickly, and whether the shelf layout is clear or causes confusion.
Eye-tracking helps analyse the influence of height, horizontal or vertical layout, the use of colours, signage and promotional elements on visual attention. It also allows us to check whether the design facilitates comparison between options or whether it visually overloads the consumer. Using this data, decisions can be made regarding planograms, product placement, brand blocks and point-of-sale communication materials. By combining eye-tracking data with choice data, decision times and interviews, more efficient shelves can be designed that are aligned with the shopper’s actual behaviour.
Beyond shelf layout design, eye-tracking can also be applied to other aspects of the point of sale, such as the analysis of signage, posters, promotions, prices and in-store routes. Eye-tracking helps us understand how shoppers navigate the space and which stimuli influence their decisions.
When we watch a sporting event, such as a football match, how many sponsoring brands do we actually see? Eye-tracking also helps with this when applied to sponsorship analysis. This technique allows us to assess the visibility and real impact of a brand within a sponsored context, such as sporting events, television broadcasts, digital content or experiences. Its aim is to measure whether the sponsorship succeeds in capturing visual attention and generating effective brand exposure.
In this type of study, participants are shown images or videos of sponsored events under conditions similar to real-life scenarios, such as clips from sports broadcasts, simulated live broadcasts or social media content. Whilst viewing the content, eye-tracking records whether logos, brand names or visual elements of the sponsorship are seen, for how long and at what point they appear within the visual path. This reveals whether the sponsoring brand is perceived spontaneously or goes unnoticed.
Eye-tracking helps identify which positions attract the most attention, which compete best with the action of the event, and in which situations the brand has the best chance of being seen and processed. The data obtained allows for the evaluation of the effectiveness of different sponsorship placements, such as billboards, shirts, interview backdrops, graphic overlays or elements on stage. Based on this, better pricing can be established or the return on investment measured.
Furthermore, this technique is usually combined with measures of advertising recall, brand recognition and attitudes towards the brand, which allows visual attention to be linked to the actual impact of the sponsorship on brand memory and perception.
In UX research, eye-tracking is used to understand how users perceive, interpret and navigate a digital interface. Objective eye-tracking data allows us to assess usability and user experience beyond what users report.
In UX studies, participants interact with websites, apps, prototypes or software whilst an eye-tracking system records where they look, how long they spend on each element and the order in which they scan the screen. This information allows us to analyse whether the visual hierarchy is clear, whether key elements such as buttons, menus or important messages are quickly detected, and whether the design correctly guides the user’s attention throughout a workflow.
Eye-tracking is particularly useful for detecting usability issues that are not always verbalised, such as difficulties in finding information, confusion when faced with similar options, or moments of hesitation before making a decision. By observing the visual path, researchers can identify areas that are ignored, areas that cause cognitive overload, or elements that distract from the main objective.
Furthermore, this technique allows different versions of an interface to be evaluated and compared, helping to inform evidence-based design decisions regarding which version facilitates more efficient interaction. Combined with methods such as think-aloud protocols, user interviews and various types of testing, eye-tracking provides a deeper understanding of the relationship between visual attention, behaviour and user experience.
Eye-tracking is a technique recently incorporated by We are testers into the research platform. It enables the collection of objective visual attention data, which can be combined with other types of data – such as surveys, in-depth interviews or UX tests – to provide more comprehensive information that facilitates optimal decision-making. Eye-tracking can be used on the platform to evaluate adverts, screens or shelf mock-ups, amongst other applications.
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Update date 28 April, 2026
