Horizontal Mouse Movements (HMMs) on Web Pages as Indicators of User Interest

Ilan Kirsh; Mike Joy; Yoram Kirsh

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-60700-5_53

Horizontal Mouse Movements (HMMs) on Web Pages as Indicators of User Interest

Ilan Kirsh, Mike Joy, Yoram Kirsh

Physics discipline

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

Abstract

Mouse events are widely used as implicit indicators of user attention on web pages. In this study, we investigated a particular pattern of mouse movements, Horizontal Mouse Movements (HMMs), consisting of series of mouse move events in the same horizontal direction, as indicators of users’ current interest. We formally defined HMMs and analyzed HMM activity on a sample website in English. We distinguished between LTR (Left to Right) HMMs and RTL (Right to Left) HMMs. LTR HMMs (in the reading direction of the sample website) were found to be more frequent than RTL HMMs (in the opposite direction). Then we investigated leaving web pages immediately after HMMs and found that they are much more frequent after an RTL HMM than after an LTR HMM. The difference can be explained by recent studies, which show that mouse movements in the reading direction are related to reading. Because reading indicates current interest in the web page content, the probability of leaving a web page immediately after LTR HMMs is lower. Accordingly, HMMs in the reading direction may serve as user interest indicators in educational technology, online learning, web analytics, and adaptive websites.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	HCI International 2020 – Late Breaking Posters - 22nd International Conference, HCII 2020, Proceedings
Editors	Constantine Stephanidis, Margherita Antona, Stavroula Ntoa
Publisher	Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Pages	416-423
Number of pages	8
ISBN (Print)	9783030606992
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60700-5_53
State	Published - 2020
Event	22nd International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, HCI International 2020 - Copenhagen, Denmark Duration: 19 Jul 2020 → 24 Jul 2020

Publication series

Name	Communications in Computer and Information Science
Volume	1293
ISSN (Print)	1865-0929
ISSN (Electronic)	1865-0937

Conference

Conference	22nd International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, HCI International 2020
Country/Territory	Denmark
City	Copenhagen
Period	19/07/20 → 24/07/20

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Keywords

Adaptive websites
Educational technology
Human-computer interaction
Intention
LTR
Mouse cursor
Mouse movement
RTL
Reading
User interest
Web analytics
Web pages

Access to Document

10.1007/978-3-030-60700-5_53

Cite this

Kirsh, I., Joy, M., & Kirsh, Y. (2020). Horizontal Mouse Movements (HMMs) on Web Pages as Indicators of User Interest. In C. Stephanidis, M. Antona, & S. Ntoa (Eds.), HCI International 2020 – Late Breaking Posters - 22nd International Conference, HCII 2020, Proceedings (pp. 416-423). (Communications in Computer and Information Science; Vol. 1293). Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60700-5_53

Kirsh, Ilan ; Joy, Mike ; Kirsh, Yoram. / Horizontal Mouse Movements (HMMs) on Web Pages as Indicators of User Interest. HCI International 2020 – Late Breaking Posters - 22nd International Conference, HCII 2020, Proceedings. editor / Constantine Stephanidis ; Margherita Antona ; Stavroula Ntoa. Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2020. pp. 416-423 (Communications in Computer and Information Science).

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abstract = "Mouse events are widely used as implicit indicators of user attention on web pages. In this study, we investigated a particular pattern of mouse movements, Horizontal Mouse Movements (HMMs), consisting of series of mouse move events in the same horizontal direction, as indicators of users{\textquoteright} current interest. We formally defined HMMs and analyzed HMM activity on a sample website in English. We distinguished between LTR (Left to Right) HMMs and RTL (Right to Left) HMMs. LTR HMMs (in the reading direction of the sample website) were found to be more frequent than RTL HMMs (in the opposite direction). Then we investigated leaving web pages immediately after HMMs and found that they are much more frequent after an RTL HMM than after an LTR HMM. The difference can be explained by recent studies, which show that mouse movements in the reading direction are related to reading. Because reading indicates current interest in the web page content, the probability of leaving a web page immediately after LTR HMMs is lower. Accordingly, HMMs in the reading direction may serve as user interest indicators in educational technology, online learning, web analytics, and adaptive websites.",

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Kirsh, I, Joy, M & Kirsh, Y 2020, Horizontal Mouse Movements (HMMs) on Web Pages as Indicators of User Interest. in C Stephanidis, M Antona & S Ntoa (eds), HCI International 2020 – Late Breaking Posters - 22nd International Conference, HCII 2020, Proceedings. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol. 1293, Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, pp. 416-423, 22nd International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, HCI International 2020, Copenhagen, Denmark, 19/07/20. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60700-5_53

Horizontal Mouse Movements (HMMs) on Web Pages as Indicators of User Interest. / Kirsh, Ilan; Joy, Mike; Kirsh, Yoram.
HCI International 2020 – Late Breaking Posters - 22nd International Conference, HCII 2020, Proceedings. ed. / Constantine Stephanidis; Margherita Antona; Stavroula Ntoa. Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2020. p. 416-423 (Communications in Computer and Information Science; Vol. 1293).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

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AU - Joy, Mike

AU - Kirsh, Yoram

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Kirsh I, Joy M, Kirsh Y. Horizontal Mouse Movements (HMMs) on Web Pages as Indicators of User Interest. In Stephanidis C, Antona M, Ntoa S, editors, HCI International 2020 – Late Breaking Posters - 22nd International Conference, HCII 2020, Proceedings. Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH. 2020. p. 416-423. (Communications in Computer and Information Science). doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-60700-5_53

Horizontal Mouse Movements (HMMs) on Web Pages as Indicators of User Interest

Abstract

Publication series

Conference

Bibliographical note

Keywords

Access to Document

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