Key things to avoid when getting started
Predicting attention with expoze.io is simple and easy. But before you get started, it's good to know about a few key mistakes users often make when trying expoze for the first time:
Test what your user/audience actually sees
We predict what a user will see/notice, so ask yourself this question: "Is this what my visitor would see?". A common mistake we see quite often is users not using a realistic setting for their materials, this especially happens when testing UI/UX.
For example, are you looking to test your website? That's awesome, but keep in mind that a website visitor only sees what's in the viewport. Screenshotting your entire page won't work, simply because no one would ever see your webpage in this way. Capturing multiple viewport screenshots is the way to go!
Test with a clear goal in mind
When predicting attention, you are trying to answer the question of what your target audience will notice. But what they need to notice depends greatly on what you are trying to achieve. Are you testing an online ad? You should probably ensure that the ad stands out from its surroundings, and it has a clear call to action. Are you testing a user interface? You need to define a clear visual hierarchy and prioritise which elements are most important to your end user.
Create multiple variations to benchmark against
One question we often get asked is, 'I received a score of X% on my AOI, is that good?'. Of course, the definition of good is completely relative to whom you wish to benchmark yourself against. You can either search for a design from one of your competitors, or perhaps a different variation of your own design. This way you can better understand how making small tweaks can change the way attention is divided.
Take a look at the example below - two variations of a similar Instagram ad actually receive quite different scores when tested on expoze.io. The bright contrast of the yellow is able to successfully attract more attention compared to the darker background. Try it for yourself!
If you're testing an ad, test in context
Take a look at the two example analyses below. Which one of them is more informative?
On the right, you have an example of an ad that has been tested by itself. Obviously, with no surroundings the ad will attract 100% of the attention. However, if you look at the example on the left, it's the same ad placed within the context of the Instagram mobile news feed. Here, we actually see that the user's visual attention is distracted by other things such as the like button and text from other posts. But this is a much better simulation of real life, as your target audience will have many distractions and you need to ensure that your ad will break through the noise. Therefore, we recommend that all expoze.io users always test their ad in the relevant context. We've even prepared 11 Free Online Ad Testing templates for you to use!
