Heat maps to become old hat?

There was a time...

Hmmm, perhaps I should re-word that...

Up until now, conversion optimizers had a handy toolbox of applications and knowledge to help them monitor visitor activity on a site, analyze that activity, draw conclusions and refine the site (architecture, content, graphics, presentation, etc.) to further ease the transition of visitor to customer.

It seems that Bell and the University of Montreal have developed and are now testing technology which will give researchers insight into the emotional reactions occurring during a user experience. While I'm all for conversion optimization, I can't help but wonder if we're close to giving marketers too much power and information. While this technology doesn't give site owners power over the visitor's "Buy Now" finger, it does permit another deeper intrusion into the visitor's subconscious experience, and I can't help but wonder how this information can be misused.

Original press release follows.

University of Montreal's Aude Dufresne led team that designed technology used by Bell

Montreal, June 9, 2010 – While most people have intuitive reactions to Web sites, a group of Canadian scientists is developing software that can actually measure those emotions and more.

Aude Dufresne, a professor at the University of Montreal Department Of Communications, led a team of researchers that are designing a new software to evaluate the biological responses of Internet users.

Simply put, the new software measures everything in Web users from body heat to eye movements to facial expressions and analyzes how they relate to online activities. The technology is now being tested at the newly opened Bell User Experience Centre, which is located at the telecom giant's Nun's Island campus. Bell will use the University of Montreal technology to investigate how people react to Web sites. Such studies will provide companies with facts on how they can improve online experiences.

"With e-commerce and the multiplication of retail Web sites, it has become crucial for companies to consider the emotions of Web users," says Professor Dufresne. "Our software is the first designed to measure emotions at conscious and preconscious levels, which will give companies a better sense of the likes and dislikes of Web users."