The brain is a complex organ – a mass of squiggles and grey matter bathed in cerebral fluid and mystery. Amidst the myriad technological advances of the past few decades, scientists have started to plumb some of the murkier depths of brain activity to find out how our lobes are responding to the increasing array of stimuli they encounter every day. One topic within their research is of particular interest to those of us in the interactive design community: what’s your brain’s favorite website?

Alas, poor Yorick – he never saw a homepage.

A year ago, we talked about how neuro web design uses the science of decision-making to appeal to unconscious processes. As it turned out, the survival-minded “old brain,” emotional “mid-brain” and language-oriented “new brain” all look for different things when we search the web, but one take-home point emphasized the “less is more” philosophy of page design. With too many words and images vying for attention on a website, it’s hard to know where to focus. Having fewer items on the page makes it easier for brains to use visual cues to zoom in on areas of interest or prominence – a critical consideration as we develop new sites for clients.

Luckily, there are some tools available to help designers figure out if they’re on the right track. Fast Company recently did a story on EyeQuant, a company founded by neuro-minded entrepreneur Fabian Stelzer, capitalizes on data gleaned from hundreds of lab studies recording subjects’ eye movements as they viewed different websites. From these studies, the EyeQuant software can process any page design and locate the areas most likely to draw a viewer’s eye within the first five seconds of browsing.

We were interested in this new technology, and did a test drive. We decided to take a look inside visitors’ brains by running two designs through the EyeQuant software: NYU Langone Medical Center’s homepage, and a product page from Wrigley.com. The results, shown below in EyeQuant’s spotlight-style overlay, provide some clues.

The Altoids product page of Wrigley’s site illustrates an important fact in the website design world: bold color and prominent images draw the eye. In this map, the three areas of immediate visual interest are the large red-and-white Altoids tin and accompanying black text box at the top of the page, and the yellow box items pertaining to Starburst and Skittles candy. When we work with interactive clients in the Consumer sphere, showcasing products is a key goal.

Another important focal point: logos. On the NYULMC homepage, EyeQuant identified the Medical Center’s logo as a visual draw. It is often a good idea to put logos, home buttons, and other important information on the left-hand side of the page; since we read from left to right, the eyes naturally travel there first. Copy blocks in contrasting colors also help to focus attention in the midst of large-format photography and graphics, as this analysis also revealed.

We’ll be recommending EyeQuant to clients who want to ensure that the most pertinent information commands viewer attention. Designing for the mind - it doesn’t take a brainiac to see the benefit in that.