TRACKING VISUAL GAZE INFORMATION FOR CONTROLLING CONTENT DISPLAY

• US 20160225012A1
• Filed: 01/30/2015
• Published: 08/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Ha, Eric, Rodgers, Dwight
• Granted Patent: US 10,242,379 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed toward tracking visual gaze information. Methods and systems of the present disclosure track a visual gaze of a user with respect to a display of a computing device. In particular, one or more embodiments track a visual gaze of a user with respect to content on a display. The methods and systems can use information about the visual gaze of the user for use in improving the presentation of content. For example, the systems and methods can increase a display size or volume of content in response to the visual gaze of the user. Still further, the methods and systems can use the visual gaze information for providing analytics regarding the viewing habits of the user.

Claims

1. A method of tracking visual gaze information for visual content, the method comprising:

tracking, by an image capture device in communication with at least one processor, a visual gaze of a user with respect to a display of a computing device by calculating a vector from one or more eyes of the user to the display of the computing device based on images of the one or more eyes of the user taken by the image capture device, the display including a first content item in a primary display area of the display and a second content item in a secondary display area of the display;

determining, by the at least one processor, that a visual gaze of the user is on the first content item;

detecting, by the at least one processor, a transition of the visual gaze of the user from the first content item to the second content item;

determining, by the at least one processor, that the visual gaze of the user with respect to the second content item meets a first predetermined threshold; and

in response to the visual gaze of the user with respect to the second content item meeting the predetermined threshold, increasing, by the at least one processor, one or more of a display size of the second content item or a volume associated with the second content item.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining that the visual gaze of the user with respect to the second content item meets a first predetermined threshold comprises determining that the visual gaze of the user remains on the second content item for a first predetermined time threshold.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining that the visual gaze of the user with respect to the second content item meets a first predetermined threshold comprises determining that an aggregated length of time in which the visual gaze of the user is on the second content item satisfies a first aggregate predetermined time threshold within a predetermined time period.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the visual gaze of the user with respect to the second content item meets a second predetermined threshold; and

in response to the visual gaze of the user with respect to the second content item meeting the second predetermined threshold, increasing the display size of the second content item to fit to the primary display area of the display.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, further comprising switching a position of the first content item with a position of the second content item in response to the visual gaze of the user with respect to the second content item meeting the second predetermined threshold.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the visual gaze of the user with respect to the second content item meets a second predetermined threshold; and

in response to the visual gaze of the user with respect to the second content item meeting the second predetermined threshold, decreasing a display size or a volume associated with one or more other content items in the display.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a second transition of the visual gaze of the user from the second content item back to the first content item;

determining that the visual gaze of the user with respect to the first content item meets a second predetermined threshold; and

decreasing, by the at least one processor, one or more of the display size of the second content item or the volume associated with the second content item.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

tracking visual gazes of a plurality of users of the computing device;

determining that a visual gaze of a consensus of the plurality of users is on the first content item;

detecting a transition of the visual gaze of the consensus from the first content item to the second content item;

determining that the visual gaze of the consensus with respect to the second content item meets the first predetermined threshold; and

in response to the visual gaze of the consensus with respect to the second content item meeting the first predetermined threshold, increasing one or more of the display size of the second content item or the volume associated with the second content item.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

tracking visual gazes of a plurality of users of the computing device;

determining that a visual gaze of a first group of the plurality of users is on the first content item and a visual gaze of a second group of the plurality of users transitions to the second content item;

maintaining the first content item in a first position of the primary display area of the display; and

positioning the second content item in a second position of the primary display area of the display.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein increasing the display size of the second content item comprises continuously increasing the display size of the second content item on the display while the visual gaze of the user remains on the second content item.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein increasing the display size of the second content item comprises increasing the display size of the second content item according to predetermined step sizes while the visual gaze of the user remains on the second content item.

12. A method of tracking visual gaze information for visual content, the method comprising:

tracking, by an image capture device in communication with at least one processor, a visual focus of a user with respect to a display of a computing device by calculating a vector from one or more eyes of the user to the display of the computing device based on images of the one or more eyes of the user taken by the image capture device, the display including a first content item in a primary display area of the display and a second content item in a secondary display area of the display, the display including a first content item;

identifying, by the at least one processor, a length of time that a visual focus of the user remains on the first content item;

assigning, by the at least on processor, an engagement level to the visual focus of the user on the first content item based on the length of time that the visual focus of the remains on the first content item; and

providing, by the at least on processor, an indication of the engagement level to an analytics tracking service.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

identifying a transition of the visual focus of the user from the first content item in a primary display area of the display to a second content item in a secondary display area of the display;

identifying a length of time that the visual focus of the user remains on the second content item;

assigning a second engagement level to the visual focus of the user on the second content item based on the length of time that the visual focus of the user remains on the second content item; and

providing an indication of the engagement level for the visual focus of the user on the second content item to the analytics tracking service.

14. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

identifying a number of times that the visual focus of the user leaves and returns to the first content item;

wherein assigning the engagement level further comprises assigning the engagement level based on the number of times that the visual focus of the user leaves and returns to the first content item.

15. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

determining that the visual focus of the user leaves the first content item and returns to the content item after a length of time,

wherein assigning the engagement level further comprises assigning the engagement level based on the length of time that the visual focus of the user is away from the first content item.

16. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

detecting a change in pupil dilation of the user while the visual focus of the user is on the first content item,

wherein assigning the engagement level further comprises assigning the engagement level based on the change in pupil dilation of the user.

17. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

identifying a characteristic of the first content item; and

providing a new content item on the display based on the assigned engagement level, the new content item comprising the identified characteristic.

18. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

determining, based on the visual gaze of the user, that the focus of the user transitions among a plurality of content items;

identifying a common characteristic associated with the plurality of content items; and

providing one or more new content items comprising the identified common characteristic.

19. A system for tracking visual gaze information for visual content, the system comprising:

at least one processor;

an image capture device; and

at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions thereon, that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to;

track, by the image capture device, a visual gaze of a user with respect to a display of a computing device by calculating a vector from one or more eyes of the user to the display of the computing device based on images of the one or more eyes of the user taken by the image capture device, the display including a first content item in a primary display area of the display and a second content item in a secondary display area of the display, the display including a first content item in a primary display area of the display and a second content item in a secondary display area of the display;

determine that a visual gaze of the user is on the first content item;

detect a transition of the visual gaze of the user from the first content item to the second content item;

determine that the visual gaze of the user remains on the second content item for a predetermined time threshold; and

in response to the visual gaze of the user remaining on the second content item for the predetermined time threshold;

increase a display size of the second content item; and

decrease a display size of one or more other content items in the secondary display area of the display.

20. The system as recited in claim 19, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

increase the display size of the second content item to fit to the primary display area of the display; and

move the second content item to the primary area of the display.