At 5:17 PM -0400 8/20/09, Jared Spool wrote: [regarding driver studies]
>Using eye tracking in this research doesn't add any value to any of the data >we already have. You may well be right, and certainly you know a lot more about eye tracking than I do. Let me say a little more about what I'm thinking, if I may. As a life-or-death issue, texting while driving may need more extreme measures than we would ordinarily apply. Not to convince those of us who know research, but to convince people (e.g., legislators) who are in a position to do something with the findings. The cell-phone simulation that you posted is useful for convincing me, as an individual, that I personally cannot do both at the same time (not that I need convincing; I don't even use the phone while driving). But there are plenty of people who would not even try the simulation, let alone be remotely persuaded by it, because they believe in their own invincibility. I am not actually fully convinced that eye tracking is necessary even in the study of texting while driving. But I *would* argue that we should consider it carefully, because the circumstances and issues are special and the risks are so huge. I do have a question for you, Jared, to help me understand your point: Are you saying that we don't need to know how much time people spend with their eyes off the road while trying to text, or that we can get those data without doing eye tracking? I do understand what you're saying regarding "regular" usability testing, and I'm asking for clarification on what you're saying here regarding studies of texting while driving. Thanks for anything you can add to clear up this point for me. Elizabeth -- Elizabeth Buie Luminanze Consulting, LLC www.luminanze.com @ebuie ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [email protected] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
