In your 360-degree and VR videos, the audience can look almost anywhere. You might hope they’re looking over here, but what if they’re looking over there?

Now there’s a way to find out where viewers are looking.

Youtube Creator Blog has just posted Hot and Cold: Heatmaps in VR .

“Today we’re introducing heatmaps for 360-degree and VR videos with over 1,000 views, which will give you specific insight into how your viewers are engaging with your content. With heatmaps, you’ll be able to see exactly what parts of your video are catching a viewer’s attention and how long they’re looking at a specific part of the video.”

Some key findings based on their research:

• People spend 75% of their time within the front 90 degrees of a video.
• Almost 20% of views are directly behind.
• Mobile viewers using Google Cardboard need a couple of seconds to get situated before the action starts.

They also suggest: “Try using markers and animations to draw attention to different parts of the scene.”

My take: these analytics are golden if you’re making immersive video. My advice is to map out where you think attention will linger and then compare it with actual results. This should help you refine your content. In addition, I feel these findings bolster my contention that 180-degree 3D immersive video is superior to flat 360 for narrative immersive video.