TNS Buys Stake in Usability Researcher

TNS has bought a 15% stake in Berlin-based usability research firm Eye Square, reflecting increased client demand for usability advice and consultancy.

Founded in 1999, Eye Square evaluates how consumers use or react to any kind of object or environment, and focuses on web, product, advertisement and shop usability research. Once behaviour observation research or in-depth interviews have taken place, the firm's core Visualizer technology is used to analyse mouse movements, clicks and eye movement.

The business, which employs around 30 staff, is run by Managing Partners Sabrina Duda and Michael Schiessl. Duda says she is confident that the acquisition will bring fresh insights for TNS clients, adding: 'Usability is key to future success in business; there is a need for more and more sophisticated usability analysis in all kinds of industries.'

TNS will integrate Eye Square solutions into its Areas of Expertise to help address the business development and marketing needs of its clients. For instance, WebEval (TNS's web site evaluation product) will incorporate Eye Square's Web Visualizer into its capabilities to help clients optimise web sites by analysing how a mouse is dragged across a screen and how users click through to different pages.

'Usability is a key discipline in market research and is seeing growing demand in the United States and a number of European countries,' stated Arno Hummerston, MD of TNS Global Interactive (www.mrweb.com/drno/news5866.htm ). 'We want to position ourselves so that we benefit from that demand.'

The firms are online at www.tns-global.com and www.eye-square.com.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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