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The Utility of Webcam Eye-Tracking: Lessons Learned and Practical Applications in Decision-Making and Digital Human-Computer Interactions
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- Author / Creator
- Bertrand, Jennifer K
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In the realm of contemporary research, especially after a global pandemic, the potential of remotely-collected webcam eye-tracking has emerged as a promising yet relatively uncharted avenue. This thesis aims to both uncover and bolster the utility of this method in understanding human behaviors, navigating the intricate trade-offs it presents.
Chapter 1 gives context to the aim of this thesis by providing a panoramic view of eye-tracking, remote and online experimentation, and the unique challenges that they present when combined to form remote webcam eye-tracking. In Chapter 2, we endeavoured to understand the utility of webcam eye-tracking as a tool to explore the persistence of eye-hand coordination patterns within digitized object interactions. Operating within a fully remote experimental setup, we successfully deployed a digital drag-and-drop cursor movement task with webcam eye-tracking, gathering complete datasets from 51 participants who used their own web-cameras as eye-trackers. Our results demonstrate the usefulness of webcam eye-tracking by capturing robust eye-cursor dynamics, and further reveal novel empirical insights about the adaptability of the visuomotor system in a digital domain. Chapter 3 pivots to evaluate the practical utility of webcam eye-tracking within a binary choice decision-making domain. Building off of prior cursor-tracking work and established binary choice tasks, we deployed our webcam eye-tracking study to 100 remote, crowdsourced participants. With webcam eye-tracking, we found decision-difficulty effect earlier than what cursor-tracking alone could provide, demonstrating the utility of webcam eye-tracking. In addition, webcam eye-tracking afforded us the opportunity to capture more nuanced decision-making processes as they relate to gaze-driven information sampling, adding depth to the method's usefulness. Accompanying these investigations, Chapter 4 serves as a comprehensive, practical guide, crystallizing lessons from the challenging process of applying webcam eye-tracking to our chosen domains. Beyond its value as a collection of invaluable tips, the chapter leverages evidence from the previous studies, providing evidence-based recommendations on data quality, participant engagement, and experimental costs. This thesis concludes with Chapter 5, providing a reflective perspective when revisiting the contributions made in the previous chapters. Analyzing the method's utility and its empirical implications, my definition of utility evolves to be more broad and holistic. I contemplate the future of eye-tracking technology from various angles, and conclude this thesis with personal reflections on the challenges and rewards of harnessing webcam eye-tracking. In summary, this thesis showcases the potential of remotely-collected webcam eye-tracking in comprehending human behaviors. From eye-hand coordination to decision-making, and from practical guidance to future implications, the research paints a compelling narrative of webcam eye-tracking's utility, bridging the gap between remote data collection and nuanced insights into human behavior. -
- Subjects / Keywords
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- Graduation date
- Fall 2023
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- Type of Item
- Thesis
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- Degree
- Doctor of Philosophy
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- License
- This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.