Using multiple data sources to get closer insights into user cost and task performance

This pilot study explores the use of combining multiple data sources (subjective, physical, physiological, and eye tracking) in understanding user cost and behavior. Specifically, we show the efficacy of such objective measurements as heart rate variability (HRV), and pupillary response in evaluating user cost in game environments, along with subjective techniques, and investigate eye and hand behavior at various levels of user cost. In addition, a method for evaluating task performance at the micro-level is developed by combining eye and hand data. Four findings indicate the great potential value of combining multiple data sources to evaluate interaction: first, spectral analysis of HRV in the low frequency band shows significant sensitivity to changes in user cost, modulated by game difficulty—the result is consistent with subjective ratings, but pupillary response fails to accord with user cost in this game environment; second, eye saccades seem to be more sensitive to user cost changes than eye fixation number and duration, or scanpath length; third, a composite index based on eye and hand movements is developed, and it shows more sensitivity to user cost changes than a single eye or hand measurement; finally, timeline analysis of the ratio of eye fixations to mouse clicks demonstrates task performance changes and learning effects over time. We conclude that combining multiple data sources has a valuable role in human–computer interaction (HCI) evaluation and design.