How Do Users Browse a Portal Website? An Examination of User Eye Movements
http://www.surl.org/usabilitynews/102/portal_column.asp

Owens, Justin W. and Sav Shrestha
Usability News
2008

Abstract:

This study examined the eye movement patterns of users browsing a web-based portal interface. Results demonstrate consistent scan patterns in both 2 and 3-column portal layouts. In the 2-column portal, users viewed the page through the top, left channel and proceeded to scan the rest of the portal page in a reverse 'S' pattern by row. In the 3-column portal layout, users typically started scanning in the top, center channel, and then proceeded to scan in a reverse 'S' pattern through the rest of channels by row. Implications of these results to portal design are discussed.