FocusFlow: Leveraging Focal Depth for Gaze Interaction in Virtual Reality

Chenyang Zhang, Tiansu Chen, Rohan Russel Nedungadi, Eric Shaffer, Elahe Soltanaghai

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Current gaze input methods for VR headsets predominantly utilize the gaze ray as a pointing cursor, often neglecting depth information in it. This study introduces FocusFlow, a novel gaze interaction technique that integrates focal depth into gaze input dimensions, facilitating users to actively shift their focus along the depth dimension for interaction. A detection algorithm to identify the user's focal depth is developed. Based on this, a layer-based UI is proposed, which uses focal depth changes to enable layer switch operations, offering an intuitive hands-free selection method. We also designed visual cues to guide users to adjust focal depth accurately and get familiar with the interaction process. Preliminary evaluations demonstrate the system's usability, and several potential applications are discussed. Through FocusFlow, we aim to enrich the input dimensions of gaze interaction, achieving more intuitive and efficient human-computer interactions on headset devices.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationUIST 2023 Adjunct - Adjunct Proceedings of the 36th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
ISBN (Electronic)9798400700965
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 29 2023
Event36th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology, UIST 2023 - San Francisco, United States
Duration: Oct 29 2023Nov 1 2023

Publication series

NameUIST 2023 Adjunct - Adjunct Proceedings of the 36th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology

Conference

Conference36th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology, UIST 2023
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CitySan Francisco
Period10/29/2311/1/23

Keywords

  • focal depth
  • gaze interaction
  • user interface design
  • virtual reality

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Software
  • Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design
  • Human-Computer Interaction

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