The Eyes Have It

New research shows that placing animated eyes on a Web page near where you want users to click can dramatically increase user response. Based on a Florida Department of Transportation study that used animated eyes on crossing lights to ensure that pedestrians look both ways, this research is interesting on two levels.

First, it underscores the power of eyes. Other research has found that showing eyes in banner ads increases click through rates. There's just something about seeing eyes on the Web that grabs our attention. Maybe it's the subtle humanizing of a typically inhuman medium? Second, this research highlights that fundamentally most Web sites are not very good at giving visitors strong visual cues on what they should do next. Many sites use the Democracy of Navigation approach, giving visitors 25 or more options for their next click, and treating each option the same. This requires the visitor to assess each option mentally before determining which one is a logical next step. This of course results in a lot of mistaken clicks, wrong turns, and usage of the dreaded "back" button. Our philosophy is wherever possible to treat the Web site like a Powerpoint presentation. For every site, there is a preferable sequence in which you would prefer visitors to receive information about your company. Develop or modify your Web site to gently push visitors along that sequence and you'll find an increase in conversion rate, and happier and less confused visitors. I'm not sure that I'm ready to drop animated eyes adjacent to the submit button on this or any other site, but the philosophy is quite solid indeed. To read the article about the research study, visit this link: http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/11537.asp

About the Author: Jason Baer

Jason Baer is the Director of Strategy and Ideas for Off Madison Ave. With 20 years of marketing experience on behalf of more than 500 companies, he's a pioneer in digital marketing and using advanced testing and analytics to enhance marketing success.