September 7, 2010

Google Uses Eye Tracking to Test its Revamped Design

google uses eye tracking to test its revamped design

As the saying goes, "If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it." But even the most successful websites need a reassessment every now and again to stay ahead of the game. A few days ago, Google introduced it’s latest changes, the eighth iteration of the world’s most popular site. Well, that may not be true anymore actually, as Facebook recently edged Google out of the most visited spot in the United States. Even so, the second most visited spot in the US isn’t a bad place to be, but when you’re … [Read more...]

The Price of Eye Tracking

the price of eye tracking

Cost is a word we hear thrown around quite a bit in the eye tracking world. With so many do-it-yourself eye tracking experiments being performed, it’s no wonder that cost has become an issue. As with anything, people can get quite creative finding ways around pricey and inhibitive equipment.In a paper published at Stanford University titled “Reducing the Cost of Eye Tracking Systems”, Manu Kumar tackles, as you might expect, just that.Exhorbitant costs have hindered would-be researchers … [Read more...]

Eye Controlled Video Games? Better Late Than Never

Eye Controlled Video Games, Better Late Than Never

A recent article published in New Scientist may be a little late to the Eye Tracking party as far as we’re concerned, but it’s certainly good to see more eye tracking news in mainstream media, even if it is focusing on something that’s no novelty to most within the industry.The “innovation” article focuses on gamers in search of a more interactive, immersive, and thrilling gaming experience. And thanks to innovations in gaze tracking, gamers have yet another tool at their disposal for … [Read more...]

Biometric Devices: Skin Based Touch Interface

biometric devices: skin based touch interfaces

The way we interact with technology is advancing just as fast as the technologies themselves. Interfaces come in all different shapes and sizes, and now there are many more ways to operate them than the mouse and joystick of the past. In previous Eye Tracking Update posts, we’ve mentioned ocular control with eye tracking devices, and head tracking screen navigation among others. But the hot trend right now is touch screen interface interaction, which is appearing in devices like cell phones, audio … [Read more...]

Can Eye Tracking be Used to Predict Strategic Behavior?

can eye tracking be used to predict strategic behavior

Life is full of choices, all of which have payoffs and pitfalls. When you have a goal and make choices or decisions on how to achieve it, you are developing a strategy. Creating and executing a strategy is a highly cognitive process; your mind is looking at available options and evaluating the pros and cons of each.The way in which people go about developing strategies is a subject that many researchers have investigated. Game theory takes a look at how people behave during strategic situations … [Read more...]

Eye Tracking Technology as Memory Aid

eye tracking technology as memory aid

In a recent post we noted a meeting that took place in the French Alps ski resort of Megeve. The inaugural Augmented Human International Conference took place over two days, with a gang of engineers and scientists meeting to discuss and share research and innovations on a flurry of new technology.Unfortunately, Eye Tracking Update wasn’t able to make it over to see the conference, but we’ve been finding plenty of articles on the goings on, and it sounds like an interesting success. And as … [Read more...]

Eye Tracking: Avatar Lie Detection … It’s All in the Eyes

eye tracking: avatar lie detection... it's all in the eyes

Anyone who has been told a lie knows that it doesn’t feel great to be misled. Of course, some people are more gullible than others while some seem to have a knack for spotting a lie right from the get go.When it comes to the World Wide Web, we know bynow that it pretty much comes with the territory that we’re being lied to on a daily basis. Phishing scams, Nigerian princes asking for money, random friendship and sexual solicitations, advertisements – the list of Internet deception goes … [Read more...]

A Heartwarming Eye Tracking Story

a heartwarming eye tracking story

At Eye Tracking Update, we generally cover a lot of the debates and conversations within the eye tracking industry, most of which, not surprisingly, center around usability testing and eye tracking’s effectiveness in determining tangible results. One subject that tends to be inarguable, however, is eye tracking’s ability to enable communication amongst the disabled.A rather heart -warming article, for example, was published the other day in the Grand Island Independent, a daily newspaper … [Read more...]

Eye Tracking: Online Social Networks and Web Usability Testing

eye tracking: online social network and web usability testing

Website usability testing has received a lot of attention lately. As some of the most frequently used sites on the web, social networking vehicles like Facebook have been the subject of multiple usability studies. Various Eye Tracking Update articles have touched on the debate regarding which technique used in these studies for evaluating web usability is superior.One study conducted at a Swedish university compared the efficiency of two different methods while assessing the usability of Facebook, … [Read more...]

Eye Tracking: Sexual Attraction on the Dance Floor

eye tracking: sexual attraction and the dance floor

Dancing is a fascinating phenomenon that spans the ages and practically every culture in history. For most people, there is something about rhythm that compels the body to move, but why is this? Is it simply a behavior influenced by culture and adopted as a social norm, or is it ingrained in our nature, in our genes?Dr. Peter Lovatt, a lecturer in Psychology of Dance at the University of Hertfordshire, suggests the latter, and more specifically that the compulsion to move to music may be similar … [Read more...]