Exploring UAV Interfaces: An Eye-Tracking Study on Novice and Experienced Users

The increasing presence of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), or drones, in several industries, will require the development of user interfaces (UIs) that can accommodate users with different levels of expertise.Designing such UIs is challenging due to the differences in how experienced and inexperienced users interact with drone systems, affecting their efficiency, accuracy, and cognitive load.This study investigates the potential of integrating eye-tracking data into the design of adaptive UIs that can adapt in real-time to user behaviour.We conducted a controlled experiment in an HCI lab, with 63 participants using a drone flight simulator-half of them had drone flying experience, and the other half did not.Eye-tracking data was collected in order to investigate how users interacted with the interface, specifically concentrating on their visual attention and navigation patterns.The goal was to identify key differences in user interaction that could guide the development of adaptive UIs tailored to both novice and experienced users.