ESM 4714
Scientific Visual Data Analysis and Multimedia
Project Contract: Joe Gabbard

Title:
VE Usability Evaluation and Eye Tracking Data: Discovering Potential Correlation via Data Collection and Visualization

Background:
Formative usability evaluations can be expensive and time consuming since they typically require numerous test runs employing a number of human subjects. Such expenses are magnified when evaluating the complex user interface "space" inherent in Virtual Environment (VE) systems. Augmenting VE usability evaluations with an eye tracking system may provide additional insight by generating supplementary sets of data that are concurrent with the VE formative usability evaluation process. Other potential synergistic benefits may be forged from unique visualization of the combined data sources. A cost-savings can be generated if additional "insight" can be gained without having to evaluate additional subjects (or have the same number of human subjects perform additional tasks).

Goal:
To research methods of visualizing usability data, by combining data collected from VE formative usability evaluations with data collected via concurrent eye tracking. To determine whether or not visualizing eye tracking data can aid the VE usability engineering process (i.e., make the VE usability engineering process more cost-effective) by helping to identify and/or affirm user interface problems.

Progress (as of September 28, 2000)
The Dragon Battlefield Visualization Application is currently up and running on the Immersive Workbench and is an appropriate testbed for the project. Pilot VE usability evaluations are slated for the coming weeks, at which point formative usability evaluation data as well as concurrent eye tracking data can be collected. The ISCAN eye tracking system is currently running but will require some minor modifications to support output of desired parameters in real-time.

Objectives:
The objectives required to achieve the stated project goal are as follows:

1. Research, characterize and identify critical data collected during formative usability evaluations of VEs. Develop a mechanism for collecting and organizing the data, either through a descriptive process and/or via software support.
2. Characterize and identify critical eye tracking data available via the ISCAN eye tracking system. Create software algorithms to collect and organize the data.
3. Research and develop methods for integrating the formative usability evaluation data and the concurrent eye tracking data sources. Use visual analysis tools to investigate unique ways of visualizing the integrated data set. Attempt to characterize correlation (not necessarily in the statistical sense) between the two data sets.
4. Create a multimedia presentation that details how the stated objectives were achieved, what results were discovered, and how potential "next steps" should be approached.