KENT, Ohio -- Kent State University researchers are studying Web sites' usability.

"We can observe how people look on the screen and get first impressions," said KSU Usability Lab manager, Aaron Rosenberg. "So when they go to a Web site, their initial eye fixations and we can identify that."

While watching one of the tests, a blue dot moves all over the computer screen. It indicates where the user is looking on that particular site.

On Wednesday, the subject was asked to go to NewsChannel5's website, www.newsnet5.com, and contact the investigative team. He started out well, but couldn't complete the task.

Drew Shipka, who served as the subject, was baffled.

"I saw the top bar right away, contact the station. I figured 'it's under here' and then I just gazed right over where it says 'Investigators,' I don't know why."

The information that is gathered by the research team isn't just verbal feedback from the subject, but the eye tracking system actually shows hot spots on the Web page.

The hot spots show up in places that were looked at multiple times or for extended periods of time. The information is not only used by companies that rely on Web use, but also by advertisers who are looking to catch the eye of a potential buyer.

In the search for the NewsChannel5 Investigative Team, Rosenberg provided some useful information.

"He struggled with finding out how to do it," he said. "His expectations were different than what was delivered on the Web page."

Shipka was looking in the correct area on the site.

"It wasn't that I didn't go to the right area," he said. "I just didn't see the right link."

The Kent State University technology developed a for-profit company called ScanPath.

One of the company's clients planned to spend million of dollars on new technology but ScanPath research showed that the new technology would work the same as the old.