What’s happening in your brain when you land on a webpage? That’s a tricky one. Up until recently, most “usability experts” relied on somewhat subjective guesses based on things like eye-tracking and other (not always reliable) metrics. The catch? Those tools show you what users are doing or looking at but not why they’re doing it. We get the what, but not the why.
I’ll be honest, I’ve had a few laughs reading or hearing some of the conclusions from certain web usability folks. No shade, there are plenty of legit experts out there, but a lot of the analyses I’ve seen are basically just subjective takes, often totally disconnected from what real users actually experience. The good news? We’re finally starting to go way deeper into how users actually behave online.
Marc Van Rymenant just dropped a case study (focused on Facebook) showcasing the method and tool his company, Netway, developed. I got the chance to see this tech in action during a presentation, and let me tell you—it’s a serious game changer for studying user experience.
No more wild guesses. We can now peek into users’ brains using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG). This stuff goes beyond the usual surveys, interviews, and eye-tracking. I’m not saying this will replace everything we already do, but it definitely adds a new layer. Mix all these tools together and you’ve got a much clearer picture of how people respond to websites, ads, or social media.
If this kind of thing sparks your curiosity, definitely check out Simplifying Interfaces, Marc’s blog. It’s packed with insights and case studies.