I have been invited to present my work with eye tracking and usability testing in e-commerce sites, at the Nordic e-commerce summit in Stockholm. There, I will focus on eye tracking as a way of diving deep into the mind of the users. And how eye tracking gives us a unique ability to optimize any web shop. They can only buy the things they see!
Getting to know the customer is much harder in e-commerce sites than in real life stores. Most visitors of an e-commerce sites will become just a number of page views and clicks in the over all statistics, taking their thoughts and feelings about the interaction with them when they leave. Getting to know even the people that actually act on our offerings is not easily done. If we want to know what the users think we have to invite them to an active dialog.
If you want to know more about how your users experience your web shop you have to set up usage tests and observe them wile using the sites. Conducting usage tests with eye tracking is the most advanced method of conducting usage tests. By studying the user’s eye movement we get the invaluable information about what they think in every stage of the experience.
Amazingly, few e-commerce sites have actually been subjected to thorough usage testing, with or without eye tracking, before release. Using a really good e-commerce platform will not in it self guarantee that the users, in your particular target group, will be able to effortlessly use it. Clever features and cool design will not always lead to desired results, but might equally as well leave the users confused unable to figure out how to become customers, even if they want to.
Inviting real users from your target group, and observing them when they try to use your web shop, is a brilliant way of easily identifying usability problems, and get all the information you need to be able to correct them. Preferably before you even release the site. With the use of eye tracking you might also get a clear picture of what segments of your offer are acknowledged by users.
In my presentation you will get to meet some people, that could have been your customers, struggling with some of the most common problems in e-commerce sites. You will also get insights into how to solve them.
If you involved or interested in e-commerce in any way, The Nordic e-commerce summit in Stockholm is the place to be 19th and 20th may!