Using eye-tracking to evaluate label alignment in online forms

Das, Subhrajit; McEwan, Tom; Douglas, Donna

Abstract

We analyse the usability of different label positions in online forms, using an eye-tracking system, with a small sample of UK university-educated users. The results unexpectedly contradict Wroblewski, and recommend right-aligned labels, at least in the context of forms with multiple columns.
The work was carried out by an undergraduate intern from an Indian University, who worked with HCI academics at a Scottish University and with a Scottish Usability Consultancy, and we reflect on the benefits of such internships to commercial and academic usability, both in the UK and India.

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (Published)
• Start Date: Oct 20, 2008
• End Date: Oct 22, 2008
• Publication Date: 2008
• Deposit Date: Mar 23, 2010
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 23, 2010
• Publisher: Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 451-454
• Book Title: Proceedings of the 5th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer interaction: Building Bridges
• ISBN: 978-1-59593-704-9
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/1463160.1463217
• Keywords: Usability; eye-tracking; online forms; e-commerce; research into practice
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/3699
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/1463160.1463217
• Contract Date: Mar 23, 2010