FAQ: How can I group Interest Areas together for analysis?

[SR-SUPPORT]

You can group Interest Areas (IAs) together for analysis in two distinct ways: logically (for reporting and filtering) or physically (to treat them as a single unit for calculations).
   

• Method 1: Logical Grouping (Using a "Group Label")
  To assign a common label to multiple IAs for easy filtering in your statistical software, without changing how Data Viewer calculates metrics.
  
  1. Select one or more IAs.
     
  2. In the lower panel of the Inspector > Data tab, find the Group Label property.
     
  3. Enter a common text label (e.g., faces, targets).
     
  This label can then be exported as a variable (column) in your reports. This method has no impact on any of the calculations done within Data Viewer.
  
  
• Method 2: Physical Grouping (Merging and Linking)
  To combine multiple IAs into a single, larger IA. This will affect how Data Viewer calculates metrics like total dwell time.
  • Merging (for adjacent IAs)
    To combine adjacent or overlapping IAs into one continuous shape, select the desired IAs, right-click, and choose Merge.
    
    
  • Linking (for non-adjacent IAs)
    To treat multiple, separate IAs as a single conceptual unit:
    
    1. Prerequisite: You must first convert all IAs you want to link into the Freehand shape. To do this, right-click each IA and go to IA Shape Actions > Convert to Freehand.
          
       
    2. Select all the Freehand IAs you want to link (hold CTRL on Windows or Cmd on Mac to select multiple).
       
    3. Right-click on one of the selected IAs and choose Link.
          
       
       A thin line will appear connecting the linked IAs, indicating they are now treated as a single entity for analysis.