Design of Public Sector Websites: Findings from an Eye Tracking Study Emphasizing Visual Attention and Usability Metrics

Abstract: This explorative eye tracking study investigates visual attention and perceptions of usability within eGovernment environments. We argue that such insights help in understanding users for better design of user Web experiences. In an initial test to identify areas of interest (AOI) on public sector websites, subjects (n = 8) were exposed to the start page of ten different websites with slightly different designs. Two websites (old versus new design) were then selected to investigate attention to different visual elements (n = 16). The System Usability Scale (SUS) was used to investigate performance on usability metrics. The results indicate differences in viewing behavior and visual attention across different designs, in terms of both eye tracking metrics and usability scores. The concluding remarks include suggestions for further research.