Increasing the Economic Value from Digitalisation through Eye-tracking

Abstract

The objective of this position paper is to demonstrate that eye-tracking is a cross-sectional technology for digitalisation because it provides a bridge between “machines” on the one hand, i.e. computers, networks, robots, and other man-made results of digitalisation like web pages, and humans on the other hand, who interact with them. Eye-tracking is utilised at the interface between the human and the technology side of digitalisation and it is exactly at that interface, where technological innovations translate into economic values through productivity gains, increased sales, higher realised prices, improved customer satisfaction, fewer litigation cases, longer lasting customer relationships and thereby increased lifetime customer value, more profitable management decisions and improved shareholder trust. Unfortunately, numerous frictions between “machines” and humans exist at these interfaces. Over the last decades, scientists have refined methods and invented tools to detect those frictions, reflected in visual perception: eye-tracking. While the causes of these frictions are countless, eye-tracking is a single scientific method for detecting very many of them. Eye-tracking – so to speak – is “digitalisation’s best friend”. Because of the numerous applications eye-tracking provides for reducing these frictions at the human-machine interface, users pursuing a digitalisation strategy should become aware of the financial benefits by using this scientific method in their applied research and development.