Gaze-Controlled Instructions for Manual Assembly Tasks – A Usability Evaluation Study

Abstract

People interact with technical systems every day, making use of manifold input methods. One possible but not yet very established input method is eye gaze. The present article investigates a gaze-controlled interface in the context of manual assembly tasks, where it provides a language-free and at the same time hands-free input alternative. To this end, we implemented a gaze-controlled instruction prototype and compared its efficiency, usability, and user experience to that of an established paper manual. Both instruction forms were assessed on subjective measures (NASA-TLX, UEQ, and USE) as well as on an objective measure (assembly time). Albeit being prototypical and novel to the participants, the usability of the gaze-based instruction form was at least comparable to that of the paper manual and on some scales even better. Further, the gaze-based interface yielded similar assembly times and was rated preferable in terms of user experience. Taken together, our results suggest that gaze-based instructions can be a valuable alternative to previously used instruction forms in the work context.