Inside the Neuro Lab: How We Design and Run Attention Experiments

By now, you know what NeuroAnalytics is, why eye-tracking matters, and how biometrics reveal what people can’t put into words. But how do these insights actually come together in practice?

In this post, we’ll take you behind the scenes of how we design and execute a NeuroAnalytics study, from stimulus setup to data collection, using biometric tools like iMotions, eye-trackers, facial coding, and GSR.

This is where research meets reality.

Step 1: Define the Research Objective

Every study starts with a clear research question. Are we testing brand visibility? Packaging effectiveness? Emotional resonance? Visual hierarchy?

Examples include:

• Which product package draws attention first?
• Does co-branding dilute or strengthen recall?
• Are customers emotionally engaged with this ad, or confused by it?

Clearly defined goals help determine which biometric tools we use and how we structure the experiment.

Step 2: Select & Prepare the Stimuli

Next, we choose the visual content to test. This could be:

• A static image (product packaging)
• A video ad
• A website or UI screen
• A shelf simulation

In a recent project, we tested three packaging elements in a co-branded fast food promotion: the Fries Bag, Burger Bag, and Takis Bag. Each was shown to participants in a controlled window of time to measure initial attention, engagement, and recall.

Step 3: Set Up the Metrics

Once the visual content is ready, we define Areas of Interest (AOIs) and align them with the key metrics we want to track:

• Eye-Tracking: Time to First Fixation (TTFF), Dwell Time, Fixation Count, Revisit Count
• Facial Expression Analysis: Joy, Disgust, Surprise, Neutrality, etc.
• GSR: Skin conductance spikes = emotional arousal
• EEG: Cognitive load, engagement, frustration

Each of these tells a different part of the story.

Step 4: Run the Experiment

Participants are invited into the lab or engage remotely via calibrated webcam-based eye-tracking. They’re exposed to one or more visual stimuli, each shown for a fixed period (20 seconds or more).

During this time, the system collects:

• Eye movements (fixations and saccades)
• Facial micro expressions
• Voice sentiment (if verbal feedback is collected)
• Physiological arousal (via GSR or EEG)

All of this is captured passively, participants don’t need to do anything except view naturally.

Step 5: Analyze the Data

This is where the magic happens.

We export and analyze the data, looking for patterns such as:

• Which elements consistently drew the eye first?
• Where was attention held or lost?
• What emotional reactions surfaced alongside visual focus?

In our Wendy’s × Takis ad study, for instance, eye-tracking revealed that the central packaging design pulled the most attention, while the actual food products the burger and the fries got overlooked. That’s a critical insight you can’t get from a survey alone.

Step 6: Interpret and Deliver Insights

The goal isn’t just to generate numbers, it’s to tell a story that guides better decision-making.

Our final deliverables often include:

• Heatmaps and gaze plots
• AOI comparison tables
• Emotional timeline graphs
• Marketing recommendations

For example:

“Your co-branded layout creates visual competition between the snack and the meal. Consider repositioning elements to guide the eye naturally from left to right.”