Implicitly adaptive eye-tracking user interface

Abstract

A device is disclosed for enabling a user to navigate between content using gaze tracking. The device includes a presentation component for presenting a plurality of content to a user in user interface (UI) windows. A camera captures the gaze of the user, and components described herein control focus of the UI windows presented to the user based on the gaze. Multiple UI windows of varying content may be displayed to the user. A processor determines, from the captured gaze, where the user is looking, and the UI window located at the user's gaze point is brought into focus and controlled by the user's gaze. As the user looks to other UI windows, focus is seamlessly moved from one UI window to the next to correspond with what the user is looking at, providing an implicit way to control digital content without conventional computer commands, actions, or special requests.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A device for enabling a user to navigate between content using gaze tracking, the device comprising:
 a presentation component for presenting a plurality of content to a user in user interface (UI) windows;   a camera for capturing gaze points of the user;   memory storing instructions for detecting the gaze points of the user and controlling focus of the UI windows presented to the user based on the gaze points; and   a processor programmed for:
 creating a user profile comprising one or more interests of the user based on consumption of content of the user; 
 analyzing the gaze points of a user from a content-viewing session presented on the presentation component, wherein the content-viewing session comprises the UI windows presented on the presentation component such that a first UI window where the gaze points are tracked is presented in a focused manner and other UI windows without the gaze points are presented in an unfocused manner; 
 identifying, from the gaze points, a first object at which the user is staring in the first UI window presented in the focused manner; 
 modifying the user profile to reflect an interest of the user in the first object at which the user is staring in the first UI window presented in the focused manner; and 
 selecting additional content to present in future viewing sessions based, at least in part, on the modified user profile. 
   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising rearranging a presentation order of the UI windows presented on the presentation component based on the modification of the user profile to reflect the interest of the user in the first object identified from the gaze points. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein said rearranging the presentation order of the UI windows comprises removing at least one of the UI windows from presentation on the presentation component. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 detecting, from the gaze points, that the user has started staring on a second UI window presented in the unfocused manner; and   incident to said detection, presenting the first UI window in the unfocused manner and presenting the second UI window in the focused manner.   
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 identifying, from the gaze points, a second object in the second UI window at which the user is staring; and   modifying the user profile to reflect an additional interest of the user in the second object.   
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving an advertisement to present to the user based on the modified user profile reflecting the interest of the user in the first object at which the user is staring in the first UI window; and   presenting the advertisement on the presentation component in at least one of the UI windows.   
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 selecting an advertisement to present to the user based on the modified user profile reflecting the interest of the user in the first object at which the user is staring in the first UI window; and   providing the advertisement to the presentation component for presentation to the user.   
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining, from the gaze points, a viewing speed that the user is consuming content in the first UI window presented in the focused manner; and   scrolling the content in the first UI window to move based on the viewing speed.   
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 tracking a length of time the gaze points are fixated on the first object in the first UI window; and   determining an interest level of the user in the first object based on the length of time the gaze points are fixated on the first object in the first UI window.   
     
     
         10 . A method, comprising:
 creating a user profile comprising one or more interests of a user based on consumption of content of the user;   receiving gaze points of a user from a content-viewing session presented on a computing device, wherein the content-viewing session comprises multiple UI windows presented on the client computing device such that a first UI window covering the gaze points are presented in a focused manner and other UI windows not covering the gaze points are presented in an unfocused manner;   identifying, from the gaze points, a first object at which the user is staring in the first UI window presented in the focused manner;   modifying the user profile to reflect an interest of the user in the first object at which the user is staring in the first UI window presented in the focused manner; and   selecting additional content to present in future viewing sessions based, at least in part, on the modified user profile.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising rearranging a presentation order of the multiple UI windows presented on the client computing device based on the modification of the user profile to reflect the interest of the user in the first object identified from the gaze points. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein said rearranging the presentation order of the multiple UI windows comprises removing at least one of the multiple UI windows from presentation on the client computing device. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 detecting, from the gaze points, that the user has started staring on a second UI window presented in the unfocused manner; and   incident to said detection, presenting the first UI window in the unfocused manner and presenting the second UI window in the focused manner.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 identifying, from the gaze points, a second object in the second UI window at which the user is staring; and   modifying the user profile to reflect an additional interest of the user in the second object.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 receiving an advertisement to present to the user based on the modified user profile reflecting the interest of the user in the first object at which the user is staring in the first UI window; and   presenting the advertisement on the client computing device in at least one of the multiple UI windows.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 selecting an advertisement to present to the user based on the modified user profile reflecting the interest of the user in the first object at which the user is staring in the first UI window; and   providing the advertisement to the client computing device for presentation to the user.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 determining, from the gaze points, a viewing speed that the user is consuming content in the first UI window presented in the focused manner; and   scrolling the content in the first UI window to move based on the viewing speed.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 tracking a length of time the gaze points are fixated on the first object in the first UI window; and   determining an interest level of the user in the first object based on the length of time the gaze points are fixated on the first object in the first UI window.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising modifying the user profile to reflect the determined interest level of the user in the first object based. 
     
     
         20 . One or more computer-storage media embodied with executable instructions for controlling interaction with content on a computing device, further comprising:
 presenting a collection of digital content to a user in user interface (UI) windows;   monitoring a face of a user;   locating gaze points on the screen corresponding to the monitored face of the user;   displaying a UI window covering the gaze points in a focused manner;   displaying other UI windows in an unfocused manner;   identifying, from the gaze points, a first object at which the user is staring in a first UI window presented in the focused manner;   modifying a user profile to reflect an interest of the user in the first object at which the user is staring in the first UI window presented in the focused manner; and   selecting additional content to present in future viewing sessions based, at least in part, on the modified user profile.