Design criticism plays a crucial role in fostering critical thinking and boosting creativity among design students, highlighting its significance in college design education. Engaging with design-related critical materials is a prevalent approach to strengthen design criticism. This study aims to investigate the eye movement strategies employed by both design and non-design students when reading critical materials, aiming to discern their impact on design criticism. A total of 26 product design students (male = 16, female = 10) and 26 non-design students (male = 11, female = 15) participated in the study. The participants wore eye trackers and read two design proposals with critical viewpoints, followed by a critical report for each proposal. Additionally, they completed the Design Criticism Scale. The study compared differences between design and non-design students, explored correlations among various factors, and conducted a lag sequential analysis of eye movement behaviors. Design students outperformed non-design students in personal insights and self-evaluation of design criticism. Compared to non-design students, design students exhibited a higher focus on the images during reading, as evidenced by more fixations shifting from other regions to the images. The degree of attention to images was positively correlated with personal insights. Design students' design criticism skills were positively correlated with the recall of perspectives, whereas non-design students' design criticism skills were positively associated with personal insights. The focus on images played a pivotal role in the formation of critical thinking. Additionally, the study offers recommendations for enhancing university design education.