Identifying different visual patterns in web users behaviour

On the internet one can find all kinds of information and perform a multitude of tasks such as searching for information about any subject, purchase goods and services, or enquiring about a particular company. When navigating the web, our focus (where we look) can be captured involuntary through a visual stimulus, or may be directed in a controlled manner depending on the task that we are performing. The layouts of web sites range from simple to highly complex. When creating new layouts, knowing what information is most important when a user is performing a task and which areas are supposed to attract his/her attention are important issues in order to make a web site easier to interpret and consequently their usability. In this paper we present an eye tracking study of users' visual behaviour when surfing on websites and investigate if it is possible to determine likely visual patterns. We show that the visual patterns are different depending on the task that is being performed and not on the web site where it is being carried out.