Where do people look when they look at money?

Abstract

The design of many items (e.g., web pages, banknotes) is influenced by the features to which designers expect users will attend. However, there is a dearth of research regarding which features individuals do attend to on banknotes and whether these are consistent with the expected focus of attention. The present study investigated where people look when they are looking at banknotes. We recorded the eye movements of laypersons to determine which banknote features draw the attention of observers. Images of banknotes from seven countries and in a variety of denominations were viewed (and eye movements were recorded) for 7 s in each of three viewing contexts: Art, Counterfeit, and Spatial Layout. Interest areas (e.g., features of interest) were outlined and then the duration of fixations within those areas were analyzed to examine which features were attended within the different contexts. Results suggested that the portraits that are commonly used on banknotes were not generally examined in the Counterfeit condition (irrespective of whether the entire portrait, the face, or even only the eyes were considered), but these features were examined more within an Art or a Spatial Layout context. Further, results suggested that signatures and text on banknotes tended to be examined in a Counterfeit and a Spatial Layout context as compared to an Art context. Although images were viewed more in the Art context as compared to a Counterfeit or a Spatial Layout context, security features were viewed more in the Counterfeit context than in the Art and the Spatial Layout contexts. Denominations were viewed similarly in the Counterfeit and the Spatial Layout contexts but more than in the Art context. Finally, areas with highly salient but low-level features (e.g., intensity, colour) that were expected to draw attention were not viewed in any of the contexts. The results have implications for how individuals view banknotes, generally, and also which regions tend to draw attention.