Eye-Tracking: Optimizing Spaces with Eye-Tracking Technology

O eye-tracking is a technology that tracks and records eye movements, allowing us to understand where a person is looking, for how long and how their eyes move. It is commonly applied in several areas, such as marketing, design, psychology, neuroscience and ergonomics, to analyze the visual behavior of individuals. In the field of architecture and interior design, eye-tracking offers great potential by allowing an accurate analysis of how people perceive, navigate and interact with built spaces.

Applications of Eye-Tracking in Architecture and Interior Design

 

1. Spatial Perception Analysis

Eye-tracking allows architects and designers to understand which elements attract the most attention in a space. This makes it possible to identify:

• Focal points: Discover which areas or objects, such as a piece of art or a window, attract someone's gaze when entering the space.
• Attention flows: Understand how the eyes scan the environment and what visual patterns occupants follow.
• Visual hierarchy: Assess whether the design is properly guiding users through the space, ensuring that important elements are being noticed.

 

2. Public Space Design

In places like museums, stores, and airports, eye-tracking can optimize the layout of elements to improve navigation and visual comfort for users. Examples include:

• Signage and wayfinding: Check that the signage is well positioned and visible to visitors.
• Product display in stores: Find out which products or displays capture the most attention and adjust the arrangement to maximize impact.
• Museum experience: Assess how exhibits are perceived visually and identify potential barriers that affect visitors’ experience.

 

3. Lighting and Color Assessment

Eye tracking can measure how lighting and colors influence users’ attention and visual comfort. This includes:

• Natural vs. artificial lighting: Identify occupants’ reactions to different light sources and adjust lighting to create more comfortable environments.
• Colors that guide the eye: Determine how different color combinations influence eye movements and optimize the choice of color palettes to create specific effects.

 

4. Usability Testing of Spaces

Eye-tracking can be used to test the functionality and usability of layouts before final implementation. This helps to verify that:

• The layout is intuitive: Ensure that people can navigate the space efficiently and find the resources they need.
• Functional elements are visible: Check that items such as switches and other interaction points are in the correct field of view.
• Visual ergonomics: Evaluate user interaction with furniture, displays and other elements within the environment, ensuring adequate visual comfort.

 

5. Neuroarchitecture and Well-Being Studies

Integrated with neuroarchitecture studies, eye-tracking can analyze how different visual stimuli affect the well-being of occupants, such as:

• Visual comfort: Assess whether the design of an environment helps reduce visual stress, especially in workplaces where eye strain is common.
• Emotional response: Measure how different visual design elements impact users' emotions and adapt the environment to promote feelings of relaxation or focus.
• Sensory stimuli and behavior: Analyze how visual stimuli influence navigation and occupant behavior, useful in projects that aim to guide certain user actions.

 

6. Personalizing Design Experiences

Eye tracking can be used to create personalized experiences in corporate, residential, or hospitality environments. It allows designers to adjust layout and other elements based on the visual preferences and specific needs of each user group.

 

7. Virtual Reality (VR) Testing

With the popularization of virtual reality in architectural design visualization, eye-tracking can be used in virtual environments to test designs before physical construction. This allows users to evaluate how they visually interact with the designed space, optimizing the layout and other aspects before implementation.

 

How Eye-Tracking Works

Eye-tracking technology uses cameras or sensors that capture eye movements and provide detailed data about where visual attention is focused. There are two main methods:

• Video-based eye-tracking: Infrared cameras detect the corneal reflection and calculate the direction of gaze.
• Electromagnetic eye-tracking: Sensors placed around the eyes capture movements through magnetic fields.

 

Data captured includes:

• Fixings: Moments when the eyes are focused on a specific point.
• Saccades: Rapid eye movements between two fixations.
• Pupillometry: Measurement of the diameter of the pupils, which can indicate emotional or cognitive responses.

 

Advantages and Limitations

Eye-tracking offers advantages such as:

• Accurate and objective data: Provides detailed analysis and eliminates subjective bias.
• Real-time analysis: Provides instant insights into users' visual behavior.

 

On the other hand, it has limitations:

• Complexity and cost: Eye-tracking equipment can be expensive and requires a controlled environment for accurate results.
• Data interpretation: The analysis can be complex, requiring expertise to correctly interpret eye patterns.

 

Conclusion

The use of eye-tracking in architecture and interior design provides a new way to create more user-centric environments. By collecting accurate visual data, architects and designers can optimize the functionality, aesthetics and usability of spaces, creating more pleasant and efficient visual experiences. The application of this technology allows projects to be based on an objective and scientific analysis of users’ visual interaction with environments, promoting well-being and greater satisfaction.

 

Bibliographic references

• DUCHOWSKI, Andrew T. Eye Tracking Methodology: Theory and Practice. 3rd ed. Springer, 2017.

   

• NIELSEN, Jakob; PERNICE, Kara. Eyetracking Web Usability. New Riders, 2010.

   

• POOLE, Alex; BALL, Linden J. Eye tracking in human-computer interaction and usability research: Current status and future prospects. In: GHAOUI, Claude (Ed.). Encyclopedia of Human-Computer Interaction. IGI Global, 2006. p. 211-219.

   

• HOLMQVIST, Kenneth et al. Eye Tracking: A Comprehensive Guide to Methods and Measures. Oxford University Press, 2011.

   

• NEUROSCIENCE FOR ARCHITECTURE. Eye-Tracking and Its Role in Understanding User Experience in Built Environments. The Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture, 2022.

   

• ROBSON, Peter; FRIEDMAN, Allison. Human perception and attention in spatial environments: The role of eye-tracking technology. Journal of Environmental Psychology, v. 56, p. 67-79, 2018.