Designing an Interactive Visualization to Explore Eye-movement Data

For many user applications large data sets may be collected passively and unobtrusively in the flow of their activity, and on scales ranging from the individual to increasingly larger communities. Large data sets, however, bring a concomitant need for tools to help understand what the data indicates. With the emergence of smart eyewear and the availability of sophisticated but affordable eye-tracking devices, eye movement data becomes a source of detailed information about a user’s focus and indirectly about their cognition and attention. Visualizing this usefully in terms meaningful for diagnosis however, remains a challenge. In this paper we report a new data representation from significant data sets generated by a gaze-controlled digital reading application for second language speakers. Current tools provide data sets aimed primarily towards statistical analysis of patterns: our focus is on end-user exploration of data sets in domain terms, so that practical implications can be readily identified. The visualization of horizontal eye movement data allows rapid diagnosis of problem areas in texts, informing educators immediately of individual or wider issues. The general applicability of this visualization to other applications is discussed.