March 23, 2000
There's a tug of war going on for your attention on the Internet.
Companies and their advertisers want you to click on and stick around.
As News Specialist Jed Boal reports, one Salt Lake Company knows how to find out what you like or don't like on the web.
What makes a web site good? And worth clicking back?
There's a lot of money wrapped up in the Internet and much more to be made.
Any company with a website and their advertisers want to know exactly how to engage you, the consumer.
Lab 6.two.4 is a consulting company that can tell what grabs users' attention.
This company can help dot-com's figure out what they're doing right and what they're doing wrong.
Ron Hendricks/Lab 6.two.4: WE CAN TELL WHAT PEOPLE WANT, PEOPLE ARE CONSIDERING ON THEIR WEBSITE. WE CAN TELL WHETHER THE BANNER PLACEMENT IS GOOD OR NOT.
Ron Hendricks and Eric Weight worked with Weber State Professor Sheree Josephson to apply "eye-tracking" technology to the web.
Here's how it works.
The researchers track the eye movement of test subjects on a web page with special video and computer equipment.
They can chart exactly where you're looking, and for how long.
Jed Boal/Eyewitness News: AFTER THEY RECORD THE WEBSITES THAT HAVE CAUGHT MY EYE, THEY DO AN INTERVIEW TO FIND OUT WHAT I THOUGHT, THEN ANALYZE THAT INFORMATION TOGETHER.
IF IT'S A GOOD WEB SITE IT WILL HAVE A GREAT BEHAVIOR PATTERN. YOU GOT TO THE WEB SITE, AND YOU'LL HAVE A GREAT IMPRESSION OF THAT COMPANY. IT'S A WIN-WIN, THAT'S GREAT.
If it's good for the Internet company, in theory it's good for you the consumer.
WHAT WE HELP COMPANIES DO IS LEAD CONSUMERS DOWN THE RIGHT PATH TO MAKE THAT PURCHASE DECISION.
It doesn't always work that way, and if they aren't keeping your attention companies will go back to the drawing board and try it again.
For more information on how you can participate in the research and earn $100, go to their web site at:
www.lab6two4.com.
