Ask the Eyetrackers: What About Eyetracking Career Options?

Q: I'm in Web design, and I'm looking to expand more into the print advertising realm, but after seeing what your company does and its focus, and having it completely blow my mind, I have gone into reconsideration. The fields encompassing your company absolutely fascinate me and I am very interested in it/them. Only, I don't know what "field" it should be called.

I am very interested in learning more about it and perhaps attending a college that can help me turn my thoughts into a passion or perhaps a career. I am currently attending a local community college, and am looking for some sort of direction where to go after this semester. I would really appreciate any help and guidance.

Trevor Wernisch

A: There are several ways to get into this field.

Greg Edwards, who was the original founder of Eyetools, the technology and solutions provider for Eyetrack III, was trained in the Symbolic Systems program at Stanford University. This program provides a rough focus on the elements that contribute to a study in artificial intelligence: Cognitive Psychology, Computer Science, Linguistics, Logic, and Philosophy. There are also academic programs in a field called Human Computer Interaction that are beginning to dabble in eyetracking. Graduates from such programs often move into user research departments at large companies.

One can train in eyetracking from within various departments such as Psychology or Computer Science. As you might imagine, communications/media, advertising, and marketing programs are including this topic more and more. Some research is even being done from within Economics departments. As you would expect, the applications and uses of eyetracking will be different depending on the department hosting the research. The key is to find which of these varied fields appeals to you the most, and then choose a focus that best matches your interests and temperament.

Colin Johnson, CEO, Eyetools Inc.

(Note: Questions may have been edited for length or grammar.)

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