Measuring eye-tracking accuracy and its impact on usability in apple vision pro

TL;DR

This study evaluates the eye-tracking accuracy of Apple Vision Pro and investigates its relationship with user usability, finding high accuracy but no direct correlation with usability scores.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed measurement of AVP's eye-tracking accuracy and explores its impact on user experience in VR/AR applications.

Findings

Eye-tracking accuracy of 1.11° and 0.93° in two setups

Usability scores of 75.24 (SUS) and 68.26

No significant correlation between accuracy and usability

Abstract

With built-in eye-tracking cameras, the recently released Apple Vision Pro (AVP) mixed reality (MR) headset features gaze-based interaction, eye image rendering on external screens, and iris recognition for device unlocking. One of the technological advancements of the AVP is its heavy reliance on gaze- and gesture-based interaction. However, limited information is available regarding the technological specifications of the eye-tracking capability of the AVP, and raw gaze data is inaccessible to developers. This study evaluates the eye-tracking accuracy of the AVP with two sets of tests spanning both MR and virtual reality (VR) applications. This study also examines how eye-tracking accuracy relates to user-reported usability. The results revealed an overall eye-tracking accuracy of 1.11{\deg} and 0.93{\deg} in two testing setups, within a field of view (FOV) of approximately 34{\deg} x 18{\deg}. The usability and learnability scores of the AVP, measured using the standard System Usability Scale (SUS), were 75.24 and 68.26, respectively. Importantly, no statistically reliable correlation was found between eye-tracking accuracy and usability scores. These results suggest that eye-tracking accuracy is critical for gaze-based interaction, but it is not the sole determinant of user experience in VR/AR.