Evaluating the performance of gaze interaction for map target selection

ABSTRACT

The eye tracking approach has the potential to facilitate more tailored and intelligent geoapplication interactions. There is a lack of knowledge regarding how gaze interaction influences user performance (accuracy and efficiency), visual behavior, and cognitive workload in real-world map-reading settings. In this study, we adopted a low-cost eye tracker and dwell time method to implement a fundamental gaze-based map interaction: target (point, line and area) selection. We administered a comparative experiment in which 36 participants were asked to perform a series of map target selection tasks using gaze-based and mouse interactions. The results demonstrated that gaze-based map interaction is comparable to mouse in terms of overall efficiency. By evaluating the visual behavior of the participants, we found that mouse interaction exhibited heightened fixation frequency and larger saccade amplitude than gaze interaction. Although gaze-based map interaction frustrated participants more often, the overall cognitive workload was no different from that of mouse interaction. These differences between interaction modes were largely affected by task types but rarely dependent on target shapes or positions. Moreover, participants evaluated gaze interaction higher in terms of attractiveness, stimulation and novelty. These results are beneficial for map interaction researchers and developers.

KEYWORDS:

• Gaze-based map interaction
• human-computer interaction (HCI)
• eye tracking
• visual behavior
• cognitive workload

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for the comments from the reviewers, which helped improve the article’s quality.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data supporting the findings of this investigation are accessible from the author upon reasonable request. The raw data are not available to the public because they contain information that could compromise the participants’ privacy.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/15230406.2024.2335331.

Notes

1. Lou Gehrig’s disease, also known as Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The term “frozen person” is used to describe the illness since the patient initially displayed motor atrophy and their hands and feet finally become paralyzed. The vast majority of the patient’s minds, though, are unaffected.

Additional information

Funding

This research is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [NSFC, Grant Nos. 42371455, 42001410 and 42230103], Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province [Grant No. 2021JJ40350].