Top 5 Uses for Eye Tracking Technology

The human eye is a complex organ with various functions, behaviors, and movement patterns. We are very dependent on our eyes for acquiring details about our surroundings and taking in constant information and stimuli to be processed by our brains. Eye tracking technology can be applied in countless ways to harness the power of visual activities. Here are the Top 5 uses for eye tracking technology, three of which Eye-Com Corporation specializes in:

#5 Consumer Behavior Research

Using an eye tracker for consumer behavior research allows a company to observe a consumer’s visual actions as they shop. This information gives them insight into where shoppers look and what they are looking at when they make a purchase decision. The best method for accurate, realistic data is using a wearable, unobtrusive eye tracker that allows the shopper to browse aisles naturally in a real store. Shopping simulations on a computer screen are also possible; however, results may reflect different behaviors than a real world shopping experience.

#4 Website Usability Testing

Websites have become a crucial component to any business model; essentially, if your company isn’t present on the World Wide Web, it doesn’t exist. By the same token, if a website is ugly or difficult to use, nobody will stay on your site and buy what you are trying to sell. Eye tracking is frequently being used to evaluate website usability because eye tracking devices made especially for this application are becoming cheaper and more accessible. There are many tools such as heatmaps and graphic fixation and saccade representations that illustrate browsers’ gaze patterns and visual attention while navigating a site which can give the website owner some feedback regarding the users’ experience.

#3 Driver Distraction/Drowsiness Studies

With the proliferation of cell phones, drivers are now more distracted than ever. To make things worse, we as a society are working more hours, experience higher levels of stress, and get fewer hours of sleep than in the past. Drowsiness and distraction behind the wheel is a dangerous combo resulting in thousands of accidents every year. Eye tracking can be used in combination with a drive simulator, the Eye-Com Lab Drive Simulator, for example, to observe driver behavior in a controlled laboratory environment. Eye trackers can recognize when a driver’s eyes stop looking at the road. Eye movement behaviors that indicate the onset of sleep can also be detected with some eye tracking devices, like the Eye-Com EC7T™, and can save lives by alerting and awakening the drowsy driver.

#2 Assistive Technologies

Technological advances are improving quality of life across the board, but even more so for those with limited physical and mental abilities. Eye tracking technology can be applied to both assistive communication and assistive mobility devices. Some communication software programs can be operated with gaze tracking, allowing the user to select letters or phrases on a computer screen with their eyes. A new technology in development at Eye-Com Corporation is an electric wheelchair that is controlled with eye movement directional controls, permitting the paralyzed user to maneuver their wheelchair with just their eyes.

#1 Human Computer Interface Devices

Some key players in the eye tracking industry predict that eye trackers will revolutionize human computer interaction and become the new wave of human computer interface devices. Eye trackers, such as the EC7T™, that can accurately emulate mouse control may do away with the mouse altogether. Peripherals such as the mouse and keyboard have been shown to cause wrist injury and negatively impact joint health in the knuckles. An eye tracker could eliminate these health risks by allowing the user to do what they already do naturally—look at the screen. Icons can be selected with blink clicks or intentional prolonged gaze on a desired point. Eye trackers allow for more intuitive control of a computer interface.

Those are just the top 5 uses, but really, there are so many applications for eye tracking technology that weren’t mentioned here. Check out Eye-Com’s Eye Tracking Applications page for even more innovative uses for eye tracking.

Comments