YouEye watches you watch the Web
In new service meant for Web publishers, an opt-in testing platform tracks Web surfers' eye movements through their Webcam.
Company number two at Launch is the somewhat scary YouEye. It's a user testing service for Web publishers. But instead of watching what users click on, it uses the Webcam on the computer to track what test users are actually looking at. That's a neat trick to do with a Webcam. Accuracy is not the same as you'd get in a controlled lab, but the presenter said it's about "as accurate as the width of two Twitter profile photos" (or about 100 pixels, why didn't he just say so?).
Users of the general Web don't have to worry that Amazon will start tracking their eye movements tomorrow, though. You have to opt in to be a part of a YouEye test panel, and then authorize the service to turn on your camera. Then you're supposed to perform the tasks the testing company is looking at improving (e.g., "Add something to my Wish List"). Testing companies will be able to pick and choose who they want in a test panel--by age, gender, location, and so on.
For Web designers, this beats standard click-tracking testing by a mile.