Eye Tracking as a Research Method. Selected Cases

The aim of this article was to describe the eye tracking method, its variants and selected research methodologies with its application. The measurement of dispersion of visual attention helps, among others, to determine so called scan paths and heat maps. Keeping track on movements of the eyeballs using a device called the eye-tracker depicts changes of width of the apple of the eye, direction, order of gazes, number and time of their duration; indicates what the tested person records using its eyesight, how long he keeps a gaze on a subject and how often looks at it. Eye tracking is often connected with electromyography, which allows quite precisely to indicate what kind of emotions is evoked by particular elements of a tested material. In a way, the methods or a bunch of research methods under consideration enable to reach human subconsciousness and are particularly helpful in a process of optimization various marketing tools (products placement on shop shelves, advertising and packaging tests, design of the website). Keeping track on movements of the eyeballs provides with valuable information on each level of management of marketing undertaking i.e. starting from concept testing, through implementing experiments, ending on proof tests, which is to stimulate broadening scientific research sector using literature research, to analyse available research results and to run selected case studies. In this article, the author pointed out usefulness of the discussed methods and also she described selected examples of their applications e.g. for the following brands: IKEA, Unilever, Mercedes, Toyota, Coca cola, Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen, Warka, Gazeta.pl and Aflofarm.