User Centered

Jim writes:

Clones! Get a clue, you are asking people to evaluate a site and determine what it's about. What you are forgetting is that users are not coming to your site to determine what it's about they are coming to the site to get something done. To use your metaphor for the hunter, the hunter doesn't like unknow territory, the hunter likes to make sure they are in the right place and that the area has the game they are hunting, if it doesn't the hunter will move on to an area that has the game they are hunting. Eyetracking data is very informative, but to make sweeping usability statements based on, "what is this site about" is dangerous.

Imagine if everytime you clicked on the inbox icon in outlook microsoft made you hunt to find it the newest email. The product won't last very long.

I don't think anyone is claiming that at all. Every eye tracking study I've seen give people a "setup" or briefing before hand. They aren't going in cold, presented a (in their eyes) random page and asked to determine what it was...

example- I've seen a study at the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) that set it up like this:
"you are a student and you were out a club last night and you lost your student ID and need a new one. Student ID's on campus are used in similar ways to debit cards, like in purchasing meals in the dining halls, so it's somewhat important to get a new card as soon as possible. Your going to be presented with an intranet page, and your task is to order a new ID card."

...and of course, they used actual students in the testing as well. They provided the explanation that got included the above, plus, for my benefit, they defined a few terms that students might be more likely to know than I would.

This may not have been Seth Godin's approach, but eye tracking general should not just blindly throw a page in front of someone. I chose the quote because it illustrates in a large, broad scope the design methods that should be embraced. I think as that quote stands, it is a very appropriate "sweeping usability statement"...and as a matter of fact, doesn't apply to just eye tracking.

"Imagine if everytime you clicked on the inbox icon in outlook microsoft made you hunt to find it the newest email. The product won't last very long."

Of course not. How does the above quote imply that you should create a "hunt" for your uses- ie, make it more complex? I admit, I think someone could read the linked article and possibly come to that conclusion (like here: "bad web design might actually be a good thing!") -but regardless of the context of the article (which you can argue with Seth Godin), I think the quote stands well on its own.