A new study by Catalyst Group put Microsoft's new search engine Bing against top-dog Google in a survey, to see if Bing did enough to convince people to turn to it. The study used 12 subjects, hardly a number for statistical analysis, however the most interesting part of the study isn't the survey, but the research that involved eye-tracking cameras.

The study found that of the 12 subjects, all of which previously used Google, four would switch to Microsoft's search engine, while the rest stated that the changes implemented weren't enough for them to make the switch. The subjects were also asked to rate the two search engines according to specific areas like visual design, organization of features, filtering and refining options, and relevance of results.

“Most users preferred the Bing visual design and thought that it was slightly better in terms of organization and refinement results,” the report said. Bing won in three of the four areas covered and tied with Google for usability. Overall, most users believed that Bing's design was significantly better, with nine of the participants preferring it. “However, despite some positive factors in Bing’s favor, users thought that both search engines produced equally relevant options.”

However, the most interesting part of the test was tracking what portions of the screen attracted the most attention. The different approach when it came to the category menus had a big impact, as half of the subjects used the Explorer Panel on the left in Bing, while none of them employed the category links on top of the Google page.

The different designs also had an impact on what ads were viewed and for how long. When searching for a camera, all users looked at the top ads, while only half at the right-hand ones. Also, users spent 150 percent more time looking at the top ads in Bing compared with Google. However, when searching for a hotel, the difference was less noticeable, with users spending a little more time viewing the top ads in Google. The number of the subjects is rather small, but it is interesting to see just how the design choices impacted on their behavior.