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Understanding users and their needs

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Abstract

Gaze-control enables people to control a computer by using eye-gaze to select items on screen. Gaze-control is a necessity for people who have lost all motor control of their body and only have control over eye movements. In addition, gaze-control can be the quickest and least tiring option for a far broader group of people with varying disabilities. This paper reports findings from gaze-control user trials involving users from both groups: people who are totally paralyzed, as well as people with a wide range of complex disabilities. The trials conducted involved four different centres supporting people with disabilities in three different European countries. Several gaze-control systems were trialled by a large number of users with varying needs and abilities. The perceived benefits of gaze-control are described, and recommendations for successful assessment and implementation of gaze-control are provided.

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Acknowledgements

Special thanks go to the staff at Torino ALS Centre: Paolo Ghiglione, Cristina Moglia, Anna Montuschi, Anna Terreni, Andrea Calvo. The work has been partially supported by the COGAIN Network of Excellence on Communication by Gaze Interaction (IST-2003-511598), www.cogain.org.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The ACE Centre, 92 Windmill Road, Headington, Oxford, OX3 8DD, UK

    Mick Donegan

  2. RE Unit, Rookwood Hospital, Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust, Cardiff, Wales, UK

    Jeffrey D. Morris

  3. Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Torino (TO), Italy

    Fulvio Corno & Isabella Signorile

  4. Torino ALS Centre, Torino, Italy

    Adriano Chió, Valentina Pasian & Alessandro Vignola

  5. DART Centre for AAC and Computer Access in West Sweden, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Margret Buchholz & Eva Holmqvist

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  1. Mick Donegan
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  2. Jeffrey D. Morris
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  3. Fulvio Corno
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  4. Isabella Signorile
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  5. Adriano Chió
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  6. Valentina Pasian
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  7. Alessandro Vignola
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  8. Margret Buchholz
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  9. Eva Holmqvist
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Correspondence to Fulvio Corno.

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Donegan, M., Morris, J.D., Corno, F. et al. Understanding users and their needs. Univ Access Inf Soc 8, 259–275 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-009-0148-1

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