Saint Louis University is revolutionizing our understanding of the role computers play in our lives.
The esteemed institution announced in April 2024 the launch of its new state-of-the-art computer lab at the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business to analyze how people interact with computers. Dubbed The Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Lab, research at the facility will be used to enhance user experiences across the internet.
“Eye tracking offers a window into how individuals read and scan information (such as a picture, text or movie) that is displayed to them,” says SLU’s ITM and operations department chair Palash Bera, Ph.D. “By relating eye movement behavior with decision-making data, one can obtain a comprehensive picture of the decision-making process. Without such technology, it is difficult to identify the cognitive processes of humans making decisions.”
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HCI Lab uses an array of computers equipped with specialized eye-tracking hardware, software and virtual reality headsets. This equipment can process a person’s viewing patterns almost instantaneously, generating vital data that can be used by businesses to better understand how people interact with their digital products. The lab is funded in part through a grant from Purina, which helped launch HCI.
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“One example that may be of interest to businesses would be to understand how their customers view and engage with their website,” says Bidisha Chakrabarty, Ph.D., associate dean of research and the Edward Jones Endowed Professor of Finance. “This includes how long their customers spend on their website, what items on the site they focus on, how they make their purchasing decisions and more.”
Yet while the technology presents plenty of benefits for industry use, Dr. Bera says the researchers at HCI plan to conduct multiple eye-tracking studies for academic use.
“While research in tracking eye movements is common in psychology and physiology, there is not much research in business areas such as finance, accounting, information technology and economics,” Dr. Bera says. “For example, a research study can focus on understanding how financial analysts perform investment decisions using investment apps such as Robinhood.”
To some, this kind of “tracking” research may seem a bit scary, conjuring thoughts of dystopian societies from fiction. Dr. Bera points out that there aren’t any privacy concerns with eye-tracking, however, because data is analyzed collectively and anonymously. More than anything, the research helps researchers better understand decision-making processes without being intrusive.
“Unlike data collection techniques such as surveys or focus groups, eye-tracking allows researchers to observe natural eye behavior without directly asking participants,” Dr. Bera says.
Looking ahead, Dr. Bera says the findings produced by HCI Lab will only become more prominent as artificial intelligence becomes more commonplace in society. And, as AI continues to transform businesses and lives, it’s more important than ever for us to understand how we use and trust it.
“In this context, eye-tracking can help in understanding the process by which humans trust and use AI technologies,” Bera adds.