See The
World with
new eyes
The eye-tracking project is on-going, so rather than a finished case study, consider this a series of updates journaling progress and findings as they happen.
It’s a surreal experience seeing the world through someone else's eyes, and for UX research, it’s invaluable. Eye tracking is the science of measuring where a person is looking. By plotting the results, we can begin to see the patterns in how people engage and respond to information, what catches their attention and understand how they behave. I was introduced to eye tracking through the Nielsen Norman Group’s masterful research. Their recommendations for setting, participant screening and data plotting have helped define modern practices, but across the industry these experiments are most often limited to a lab.
We use the internet all the time and rarely in a focused manner. We skim Buzzfeed from the lunch line, check Twitter at stop lights, and shop Amazon.com with a beer in hand and Ancient Aliens in the background. These are the interactions I want to observe. The distracted, casual use of technology.
The ChallengeThe hardware for detecting eye movements and the software for plotting it are enormously expensive. The Tobii Glasses 2 begin at $14,900 - the SMI ETG 2w is available starting at 11,900. No wonder the research stays in the lab.
To test in the real world I needed a quick and dirty toolkit, something cheap, mobile, and adaptable - and the hacker gods provided. Pupil Labs, a three-person research and development group based in Berlin, released their eye-tracking software for open source use to anyone who can dismantle a few webcams and wire them to a headset. Perfect.
Trial
& Error
The base of the headset is a 3D printed frame purchased from Shapeways — both the most expensive and most flexible component. For the cameras I used the recommended Microsoft LifeCam HD-6000 and Logitech HD 1080p Webcams. The Logitec is simply de-cased and mounted, but the build becomes tricky when scraping the standard LEDs off the Microsoft cam and soldering in the infrared LEDs. It took two attempts not to burn them out. Reusing the screws from the cams to mount them to the frame completes the headset, and wearing it completes a transformation - full cyborg.
With the headset complete, it took some time to calibrate. Connecting the cameras and running the capture software brings my eye into view cast in a purple IR glow. With the autofocus disabled, the pupil can be pulled into focus and the software takes over. It’s up and running now, and I’ll be taking it for a series of tests in the coming weeks. Come back soon for the full report!
