Expanding Community-Engaged Research Through Eye Tracking

While methods associated with community-engaged research have traditionally included surveys, interviews, workshops, and stakeholder feedback, this article argues that the affordances of eye tracking make it a strong candidate for use in community research contexts. Because eye tracking is grounded in experiential metrics that describe—rather than prescribe—how participants engage with multimodal work, the method encourages genuine engagement with written and visual materials, inviting the experience of a broad range of participants. Using examples of eye tracking data collected as part of three previous community research initiatives, I argue that eye tracking can bolster community-engaged research by (a) reflecting a multiplicity of reader experiences, (b) revealing how design choices impact cognitive load, and (c) fostering reflection on strengthening community engagement. While eye tracking has often been used in educational and academic settings, community-engaged research projects offer an opportunity to expand the impact of the method, benefiting the work of researchers, writers, and designers as well as the communities they serve.