Doing Eye Tracking on the
Future of Search
Gord Hotchkiss
Enquiro Research
Question:
How do you do eye tracking on what the SERP
may look like?
Problem One: Predicting the Future
• Google Universal results today
• Ask 3D results today
• Our guess as to what personalization
will look like on Google in 12 months
• Our guess as to what Google might
look like in 3 years
Problem Two: Testing the Future
• Personalization for Google:2008 and Google:
2010
• Signed our panel into a test Google account
• Gave them a scenario (see if the iPhone is for
you) and let them have a free session
• Went through search and web history and
personalized a results set for each for the
second session (Google:2008)
• Extensively personalized a search portal for
each for the third session (Google:2010)
Golden
Triangle vs
“Chunking”
E Shaped Scanning
rather than F
Scanning with
Universal
Results:
The First 2
seconds
Scanning with
Universal
Results:
The First 2
seconds
Scanning with
Universal
Results:
The First 2
seconds
Scanning with
Universal
Results:
The First 2
seconds
Scanning with
Universal
Results:
The First 2
seconds
Session Example of “Chunking”
Graphics
“Fencing”
Scanning
Does Personalization Work?
• Organic Non Personalized Personalized
listings 3, 4
and 5
personalized
• Study of 16
individuals
• Tracked
History from
a previous
session
• Provided
listings
based both
on past
clickstream
and
assumed
place in
buying
funnel
Does Personalization Work?
• Organic Non Personalized Personalized
listings 3, 4
and 5
personalized
• Study of 16
individuals
• Tracked
History from
a previous
session
• Provided
listings 60
55.56
based both
on past 50
clickstream 40.4 40.95
40
and
assumed 30
place in 20.57
18.91
buying 20
15
funnel
10
0
Non Personalized Personalized
% of Time Spent % of Fixations % of Clicks
Perhaps Personalization Works Too Well…
3
“the concern 1
might be if the
natural results are
getting better and
2
better why would
someone want to
click on the ads
anyway?”
Our Search: 2010 Panel
Jakob Nielsen Larry Cornett Michael Ferguson Chris Sherman
Marissa Mayer Greg Sterling Danny Sullivan Justin Osmer
Google: 2010?
Buyers
Heatmap
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Organic S hop Loc al Top Buy iPhone
Results Sponsored Now
% of Time Spent
Google: 2010?
Researcher’s
Heatmap
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Organic Consumer Buy iPhone iPhone
Results Rev iews Now News
% of Time Spent
Thank You
Full Whitepaper Available
gord@enquiro.com