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What is the Focus score and how to interpret it?
What is the Focus score?
Focus score is a metric that measures the level of attention concentration in your design. A high Focus score indicates that attention is concentrated on a small area, meaning a focused design. Conversely, a low Focus score suggests that attention is dispersed across the design, indicating a scattered focus.
Why is it important?
A high Focus score is critical because, in designs with multiple attention-grabbing areas, viewers’ focus tends to scatter, reducing the visibility and impact of each component. This dispersion of attention makes the message harder to interpret and weakens the overall effectiveness of the design.
In contrast, when the focus is concentrated on a singular or a few well-defined areas, these elements are more likely to be distinctly recognized and understood. This targeted approach increases the likelihood that the core message will be noticed and thus communicated more effectively, improving content comprehension and memorability.
Therefore, aiming for a high Focus score is crucial in creating designs that capture attention, convey messages clearly, and leave a lasting impression on the audience, ensuring the message is seen, understood, and remembered.
How is the Focus score calculated?
The Focus score takes into account the heatmap area and the number of focal points in the heatmap. A larger heatmap area signifies less focused attention, resulting in a lower Focus score. Similarly, if there are multiple focal points (heatmap hotspots with densely concentrated attention indicated by red colors), the Focus score will also be lower.
How to interpret the Focus score?
A Focus score of 80 and above is considered good, indicating effective attention capture within your design. But, if your goal is to really highlight the most crucial parts of your design clearly and powerfully, you can aim for a Focus score of 100.
Achieving a Focus score value of 100 means that the attention distribution in your design is concentrated perfectly. At this level, attention is so well-focused that trying to concentrate it further won’t noticeably improve how your design is perceived or understood.
However, a high Focus score doesn’t guarantee that viewers are focusing on the right elements. Your design could have a Focus score of 100 (ideally focused attention), but the attention might be focused on the wrong parts. That’s probably not what you want. So keep this in mind.
Ideally, you want to focus attention on the most crucial parts of the design, and only you know which elements are the most important in your design. So, make sure that the attention is concentrated in the right place before refining how sharply focused it is. This refinement is where the true value of the Focus score lies, aiding in enhancing the design’s impact and effectiveness.
