An Eye For Design: Gaze Visualizations for Remote Collaborative Work

In remote collaboration, gaze visualizations are designed to display where collaborators are looking in a shared visual space. This type of gaze-based intervention can improve coordination, however researchers have yet to fully explore different gaze visualization techniques and develop a deeper understanding of the ways in which features of visualizations may interact with task attributes to influence collaborative performance. There are many ways to visualize characteristics of eye movements, such as a path connecting fixation points or a heat map illustrating fixation duration and coverage. In this study, we designed and evaluated three unique gaze visualizations in a remote search task. Our results suggest that the design of gaze visualizations affects performance, coordination, searching behavior, and perceived utility. Additionally, the degree of task coupling further influences the effect of gaze visualizations on performance and coordination. We then reflect on the value of gaze visualizations for remote work and discuss implications for the design of gaze-based interventions.