Reading on-screen text with gaze-based auto-scrolling

Abstract

Visual information on eye movements can be used to facilitate scrolling while one is reading on-screen text. We carried out an experiment to find preferred reading regions on the screen and implemented an automatic scrolling technique based on the preferred regions of each individual reader. We then examined whether manual and automatic scrolling have an effect on reading behaviour on the basis of eye movement metrics, such as fixation duration and fixation count. We also studied how different font sizes affect the eye movement metrics. Results of analysis of data collected from 24 participants indicated no significant difference between manual and automatic scrolling in reading behaviour. Preferred reading regions on the screen varied among the participants. Most of them preferred relatively short regions. A significant effect of font size on fixation count was found. Subjective opinions indicated that participants found automatic scrolling convenient to use.