Cardinal Metrics to host a social mixer showcasing emergent tech tonight

by Jeremy Rogers Cardinal Metrics is hosting a social mixer this evening in the hopes that students from all walks of life and all majors will come to learn about how they can get involved with using emerging technology. The event will be held in the Holden Strategic Communications Center in the Arts and Journalism building from 7:00 – 8:30 pm. Participants will be able to explore the emergent technology of eye-tracking through an iSpy game. Afterwards, students will get to visualize their results and make an in-depth evaluation of how they did. Eye tracking technology uses a series of sensors that find a viewer's eyes and measures changes in pupil dilation, direction, and blink frequency among other factors to see where on a screen the viewer looks and for how long. Stringing together data points, designers then have access to data about what elements of design attract attention and which elements need to be highlighted more. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="388"] Image from Flickr[/caption] Eye tracking is used by many web designers to maximize the effectiveness of their page layouts. Applications of this can range from a restaurant optimizing its menu design so customers' eyes are drawn to the best food to news outlets gauging how effective their advertisements are placed on a given page. New uses for the technology are being conceived every day. Eye tracking is being used to help determine the mental work load of doing certain activities and to evaluate the performance and expertise of doctors. Eye tracking is just the beginning of learning about what Cardinal Metrics does. Cardinal Metrics is a student-run media organization that analyses data to find solutions for a number of varied clients. In addition to gaining real world experience by working with clients, members of the group are also able to receive professional certifications that can make them more attractive to employers after graduation. The end of the semester is quickly arriving, so there's no better time to learn about Cardinal Metrics and what they do for Ball State's student media groups.