Gaze‐Aware Visualisation: Design Considerations and Research Agenda

Abstract Eye tracking provides a unique perspective on the inherently visual discourse between visualisation systems and their users, and has recently become sufficiently precise and affordable to be integrated as regular input into workstations and virtual or augmented reality headsets alike. As such, real‐time eye tracking can now contribute significantly towards the development of gaze‐aware visualisations that infer and monitor users' needs to actively support their activities. To facilitate such systems we make three contributions. First, we structure and discuss design considerations for gaze‐aware visualisations along four axes: measurable data; inferable data; opportunities for support; and limiting factors to beware. Second, we distill visualisation research challenges that preclude such systems. Finally, we show via three usage scenarios how to apply these design considerations to imagine how existing systems can benefit from real‐time eye tracking. We combined a structured literature analysis, a consideration of suitable places for eye‐tracking integration in the typical visualisation ecosystem, and design space modelling. Eye tracking has significant potential to improve the interactive visual analysis of data across many visualisation domains. Our paper attempts to provide a comprehensive, general survey and conceptual discussion in this promising field, outlining the state‐of‐the‐art and future research opportunities.