I know we promised podcasting from day one, but it always takes a little more than expected to get a new project going. Here we are though. I caught up with Andy Edmonds recently to talk about Scrutinizer which is an AIR app that simulates a users vision or attention while their view a web page. We cover a wide range of topics in the podcast including how vision works, eye tracking equipment, how AIR was used for Scrutinizer and even touched on origins of usability and eye gaze simulation. Andy's a cognitive psychologist and has done huge amounts of research in web usability, I always enjoy chatting with and learning from him.

Download the podcast MP3 here. I posted the transcript over on my blog and I'll get a feed set up for all our podcasts here for next one.

A bit more about Scrutinizer...What is it?

"The Scrutinizer is a web browser, based upon the Adobe AIR toolkit and the WebKit browser, that offers a simulation of the human visual system. Specifically, it illustrates the distinction between foveal and peripheral vision in visual acuity and color perception. Using this simulation, you can get a better idea of how users interact with your site design. It's also a great tool for observing users interacting with your pages. By slowing them down, the Scrutinizer makes it easier for you to figure out what information the user is consuming and what actions they are considering."

How it works?

The Scrutinizer browser applies a visual filter to where the mouse is located, simulating foveal vision centered around the mouse. For parts of the screen far away from the mouse, the display deteriorates into lower resolution, both in detail and color. You can use the browser to get a better understanding of the low level mechanics of how users interact with your site design. Attempting to accomplish a key task on your site using the Scrutinizer can be very enlightening. Watching a user unfamiliar with your site attempt a key task with the Scrutinizer is even better at revealing how your site design affects the way the user extracts meaning from your presentation.

Have a great weekend!