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Complex and dynamic domains rely on operators to collaborate on multiple tasks and cope with changes in task demands. Gaze sharing is a means of communication used to exchange visual information by allowing teammates to view each other’s gaze points on their displays. Existing work on gaze sharing focuses on relatively simple task-specific domains and no work-to-date addresses how to use gaze sharing in data-rich environments. For this study, nine pairs of participants completed a UAV search and rescue command-and-control task with three visualization techniques: no gaze sharing, gaze sharing using the real-time dot, and gaze sharing using the real-time fixation trail. Our preliminary results show that performance scores using the real-time fixation trail were statistically significantly higher than when no gaze sharing was present. This suggests that the real-time fixation trail is a promising tool to better understand operators’ strategies and could form the basis of an adaptive display.
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This content will become publicly available on March 1, 2026
Gaze Sharing, a Double-Edged Sword: Examining the Effect of Real-Time Gaze Sharing Visualizations on Team Performance and Situation Awareness
ObjectiveThe goal of this study was to assess how different real-time gaze sharing visualization techniques affect eye tracking metrics, workload, team situation awareness (TSA), and team performance. BackgroundGaze sharing is a real-time visualization technique that allows teams to know where their team members are looking on a shared display. Gaze sharing visualization techniques are a promising means to improve collaborative performance on simple tasks; however, there needs to be validation of gaze sharing with more complex and dynamic tasks. MethodsThis study evaluated the effect of gaze sharing on eye tracking metrics, workload, team SA, and team performance in a simulated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) command-and-control task. Thirty-five teams of two performed UAV tasks under three conditions: one with no gaze sharing and two with gaze sharing. Gaze sharing was presented using a fixation dot (i.e., a translucent colored dot) and a fixation trail (i.e., a trail of the most recent fixations). ResultsThe results showed that the fixation trail significantly reduced saccadic activity, lowered workload, supported team SA at all levels, and improved performance compared to no gaze sharing; however, the fixation dot had the opposite effect on performance and SA. In fact, having no gaze sharing outperformed the fixation dot. Participants also preferred the fixation trail for its visibility and ability to track and monitor the history of their partner’s gaze. ConclusionThe results showed that gaze sharing has the potential to support collaboration, but its effectiveness depends highly on the design and context of use. ApplicationThe findings suggest that gaze sharing visualization techniques, like the fixation trail, have the potential to improve teamwork in complex UAV tasks and could have broader applicability in a variety of collaborative settings.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2008680
- PAR ID:
- 10616323
- Publisher / Repository:
- SAGE Publications
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
- Volume:
- 67
- Issue:
- 3
- ISSN:
- 0018-7208
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 196 to 224
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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