Exploring the relationship between eye movements and pupillary response from formative user experience research

Abstract

Measurement of eye physiology is an increasingly utilized tool in studying the usability of digital products. Measures include fixation counts and fixation duration, both indicators of attention, as well as pupillometry, a measure known to correlate with workload and arousal. Although most eye-tracking systems collect pupillometry data, its utility has yet to be fully realized in usability testing. In particular, it is still unclear whether the measure provides additional insight into the user experience over and above that provided by traditional eye-movement measures. The present study seeks to examine the relationship between pupillary response and fixation in the context of a usability task. Specifically, we use data from a formative user experience research study to explore whether, and under which conditions, fixation measures and pupillary response measures correlate. A better understanding of the relationship will aid practitioners in the interpretation of pupillometry data.