The inspection of very large images by eye-gaze control

Abstract

The increasing availability and accuracy of eye gaze detection equipment has encouraged its use for both investigation and control. In this paper we present novel methods for navigating and inspecting extremely large images solely or primarily using eye gaze control. We investigate the relative advantages and comparative properties of four related methods: Stare-to-Zoom (STZ), in which control of the image position and resolution level is determined solely by the user's gaze position on the screen; Head-to-Zoom (HTZ) and Dual-to-Zoom (DTZ), in which gaze control is augmented by head or mouse actions; and Mouse-to-Zoom (MTZ), using conventional mouse input as an experimental control. #The need to inspect large images occurs in many disciplines, such as mapping, medicine, astronomy and surveillance. Here we consider the inspection of very large aerial images, of which Google Earth is both an example and the one employed in our study. We perform comparative search and navigation tasks with each of the methods described, and record user opinions using the Swedish User-Viewer Presence Questionnaire. We conclude that, while gaze methods are effective for image navigation, they, as yet, lag behind more conventional methods and interaction designers may well consider combining these techniques for greatest effect.

Investigating gaze-supported multimodal pan and zoom

“…Hansen et al [2008] and Adams et al [2008] present a gazecontrolled pan and zoom interface for which they use a discrete central zoom region surrounded by a pan region towards the screen border. Zhu et al [2011] take advantage of the entire screen space for panning for which the panning speed depends on the distance between screen center and current PoR.…”

“…For the zoom activation users preferred pressing a keyboard button over gaze dwelling. Adams et al [2008] compare four different pan and zoom input techniques including gaze-based panning with zooming via clicking a certain mouse button, moving the head towards or away from the screen, and a gaze dwell-based activation. While none of the gaze-based methods proved to be as efficient as the conventional mouse-based input, user feedback for these techniques was encouraging.…”

Designing gaze-based user interfaces for steering in virtual environments

“…For example, Adams et al [2008] and Hansen et al [2008] use a distinct central zoom region surrounded by a pan region towards the screen border. A continuous movement is performed when looking in the respective region.…”

Look & touch

“…One way to ease gaze-based target selections is to magnify the display either locally at the point-of-regard [2,8,13,14,16,20,22] or globally [1,3,9]. Empirical evidence shows that eye pointing speed and accuracy can be improved by target expansions [2,16,20].…”