Do Distracting Dashboards Matter? Evidence from an Eye Tracking Study

This paper analyzes the effect of distraction on using dashboards. Distraction in dashboards was introduced by increasing the non-pixel data and not highlighting the task relevant area. Eye tracking technology was used to precisely measure how much time and effort users make to understand the dashboards. Eye tracking technology was used as it provides the details of the mental processes by which users make decision regarding the tasks. A laboratory study was conducted using eye tracking technology to understand how subjects use two types of dashboards- distracted and non-distracted to perform certain tasks. Results show that although both distracted and non-distracted groups performed equally well in answering the tasks, the distracted group had significantly high overall fixation time and count. This shows that the distracted group spent more time and effort in answering the task. Also, it was found that the non-distracted group spent more time and effort on the specific area of the dashboard where the answer of the task was available.