EyeIDEA: Paving the Way Towards an Augmented Eye-Tracking IDE

Master thesis (2021)

Authors

A.C. Langerak Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

Contributors

Maurício Aniche Software Engineering - EEMCS (supervisor 1)
W.P. Brinkman Interactive Intelligence - EEMCS (supervisor 2)
Faculty
Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science
Copyright: © 2021 arjan Langerak
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Published Date

06-04-2021

Language

English

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Faculty

Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

Abstract

Since their invention, the keyboard and mouse are the most used input devices that software developers use to interact with source code. However, these devices have their IDE interaction issues as developers need to spend a significant amount of time learning how to use them efficiently and effectively. To tackle some of these issues, we used an eye-tracker to provide an alternative input method. With eye-tracking, it is possible to infer where developers are putting their attention to that can be utilized to improve the IDE user experience and productivity. Therefore, we present EyeIDEA, an experimental plugin for Intellij IDEA that integrates eye-tracking to provide source code navigation, debugging interactions, and fine-grained information about user habits based on eye-tracking. A user study was conducted with TU Delft students to investigate the perceived usefulness of our eye-tracking IDE. Based on their reactions, we found that the gaze-based interactions feel quick and natural. Moreover, there is a strong preference for eye-tracking interactions that only require a single code element or button as input. Additionally, users perceived that an eye-tracking IDE could substitute a
mouse, especially when suffering from health-related issues or when performing light programming work. However, eye-tracking also brings new challenges, including integrating eye-tracking with keyboard/mouse input and accounting for accuracy and precision issues that influence the overall usability. A short video demonstration of our tool is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShvIX04rcr4.