Human Factors, Usability  & Ergonomics

Man and machine – OPTIMIzing the interaction 

Today the ability to measure and analyze eye movements becomes even more important for the on-task assessment of man-machine interfaces in such vehicles as aircraft, cars, trains, ships, as well as in other areas, such as air traffic control, power plant control, operating rooms.

Similarly, observing how customers interact with a product is critical when trying to understand the usefulness of an interface design. Eye tracking reveals what users are looking at on an interface and in what order they see the items. In this way, it can validate other user-testing approaches, while also offering comparisons between these approaches.

One of the most promising applications of eye tracking research is in the field of automotive design. Research is underway to improve the usability of cockpit instrumentation, such as navigation and entertainment systems, to reduce the level of distraction and thus enhance driver safety. Here, eye tracking can be used to monitor drowsiness, inattention, and the cognitive engagement of the driver.

As an ergonomist, usability or HCI researcher, you will often need to study people interacting with products or interfaces in a natural environment, while making precise and unbiased assessments. Eye tracking can assist in the following areas:

  • Software usability
  • Product safety
  • Machines / workplaces / plant control
  • Vehicle control (cars, airplanes, boats)
  • Workplace safety
  • Wayfinding

This requires accurate and reliable measurements of eye movements and eyelid closure, seamless integration with simulators and CAVES, as well as real vehicles and environments. The equipment needs to offer a fast set-up and efficient operation, while being compatible with other psycho-physical sensors (e.g. ECG, EEG, GSR).

Get more information.


Case Studies

Influence of light situation at VDU work stations

Researchers from the Center for Organizational and Occupational Sciences of the ETH Zurich in Switzerland study the photometrical situation and eye movements at VDU work stations. They found out that data on exposed light for vision and non-visual biological effects correlated to pleasure, arousal and sleep quality.

In three different buildings the eye movements of 24 subjects were observed during daily office work routines using the iView X™ HED system. Each participant was subjected randomly to four different lighting situations: daylight with diffuse sky, daylight with sunlight, artificial light and artificial light with closed Venetian blinds. The subjects worked each time for approximately 40 minutes on daily work routines until they were interrupted by a 5-minute standardized telephone quiz. The subjects subsequently filled out questionnaires concerning the work trial during the measurements as well as a set of questions concerning the illumination.