Eye Tracking Consultancy Launched!

On Wednesday 16th March the Bournemouth University Eye Tracking Consultancy (BUETC) was officially launched. The launch was a sell out attended by over 60 media, web and advertising professionals from companies in Poole, Bournemouth and the surrounding areas.

The evening was opened with an introduction from Professor Jim Roach (Dean of the School of Design, Engineering & Computing) followed by presentations by the Bournemouth University Eye Tracking Team.  Dr Jacqui Taylor (Consultancy Director) indicated the aims of BUETC – to provide an affordable and scientifically based eye tracking service – and then went on to introduce the eye tracking team.

Dr Mike Molesworth (Consumer Insight) then gave context to the role eye tracking can play in ensuring the effective design, development and implementation of all forms of media including online, digital and traditional. He also compared the return on investment of eye tracking data against more traditional forms of data collection.

Craig Girvan (Technical and Research Associate) gave an overview of how eye tracking works, comparing the sophistication of modern day methods (pupil-centre cornea reflection) to the invasive methods used in the past. Dr Taylor then provided insight into experimental design, covering the factors for consideration when devising eye tracking experiments.

Dr Molesworth then returned to the stage and facilitated an interactive session on heat maps generated in on-going studies by BUETC, before presenting in more detail the services on offer at the Bournemouth University Eye Tracking Consultancy.

Following the formal launch, delegates were invited to a post-launch drinks reception where they could discuss eye tracking and BUETC’s services with the BUETC team. Small groups of delegates were also invited to the eye tracking suite to take part in an eye tracking experiment. A video feed to the reception venue was set up so that all delegates were able to see the eye tracker in action.

Feedback from the launch delegates has been very positive with many indicating that they would like to incorporate the eye tracking service in their offering to their clients.