The interplay of user preference and precision in different gaze-based interaction methods in virtual environments

Björn Rene Severitt ^1* Yannick Sauer ² Alexander Neugebauer ¹ Rajat Agarwala ¹ Nora Castner ² Siegfried Wahl ^1,2

• ¹ University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
• ² Carl Zeiss Vision International GmbH, Aalen, Germany

Extended reality has evolved greatly over the past years, specifically gaze based interaction for improving accessibility in order to bring these systems to broader communities. Research on different gaze-based selection methods has already achieved advancements in ease of interaction and also inclusivity of differing users. However, the adaptability of these systems to diverse users, namely comfort and threshold to errors, has not been fully explored. In this study, we investigated gaze-based interaction methods within a virtual reality game with a visual search task with 52 participants. We compared four different interaction techniques: Selection by dwell time or confirmation of selection by head orientation, nodding or smooth pursuit eye movements. We evaluated both subjective and objective performance metrics, including NASA-TLX for subjective task load, as well as time to find the correct targets and points achieved for objective analysis. The results demonstrated significant differences between gaze-based interaction methods in terms of NASA-TLX workload dimensions, time to locate targets, and overall performance scores. These findings indicate that different gaze-based techniques vary in their effectiveness for intuitive and efficient system interaction in virtual reality. Additionally, the study revealed gender-specific differences, highlighting the need for adaptable gaze-based interfaces that accommodate diverse user preferences and cognitive loads. These insights have important implications for virtual reality and human-computer interaction, suggesting that gazebased selection methods should be tailored to enhance accessibility, reduce cognitive strain, and optimize user experience across diverse populations. By integrating personalized gaze interaction strategies, virtual reality systems can become more inclusive and effective, improving interaction for both general users and individuals with accessibility needs.