The Pinball Pattern of Scanning Search Results Pages

Summary: Today, a SERP (search engine results page) contains so many design elements that users don't have a simple way of picking out their preferred link. Eyetracking studies show that users' eyes bounce around the page between items in a scan pattern that resembles a pinball machine game.

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The Pinball Pattern of Scanning Search Results Pages

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Complex Search-Results Pages Change Search Behavior: The Pinball Pattern

Because today’s search-results pages have many possible complex layouts, users don’t always process search results sequentially. They distribute their attention more variably across the page than in the past.

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Kate Moran is a former NN/G employee who worked on research, teaching, management, and thought leadership. Her expertise spanned qualitative and quantitative research methods. At NN/G Kate published research findings on topics such as digital content, information-seeking user behaviors, and AI.

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