What can a mouse cursor tell us more?

Abstract

In this paper, we describe a study on the relationship between gaze position and cursor position on a computer screen during web browsing. Users were asked to browse several web sites while their eye/mouse movements were recorded. The data suggest that there is a strong relationship between gaze position and cursor position. The data also show that there are regular patterns of eye/mouse movements. Based on these findings, we argue that a mouse could provide us more information than just the x, y position where a user is pointing. This implies that we can use an inexpensive and extremely popular tool as an alternative of eye-tracking systems, especially in web usability evaluation. Moreover, by understanding the intent of every mouse movement, we may be able to achieve a better interface for human computer interaction.