Using Eye Tracking Technology to Improve Information Perception of Tabular Managerial Information

Due to the fact that the quality of decisions is linked to the availability of information and to the ability of the human brain to process this in an efficient and effective way, its selection and representation are of major importance in business communication. Graphs and tables are widely used to transform raw data into a more understandable format. However, there is a lack of empirically tested guidelines on how to use and design tables and graphs. This paper sets out to explore how specific visual designs applied to tabular displays can influence perception. Therefore a study was conducted using three different methodologies: an eye tracking study, a survey (by questionnaire) and a conjoint-analysis. Eye tracking is applied to gain greater insights into the human perceptual process while the survey and the conjoint-analyses help in identifying user preferences. This paper shows that the use of guidelines can influence effectiveness and efficiency of information presentation as well as preferences in tabular displays when applying gridlines. A positive effect can be detected when applying horizontal gridlines and a negative effect when applying vertical ones.