Hawkeye vs OpenGazer

Hawkeye is an eye-tracking tool for examining how people look at websites, images, and prototypes. It is software-based and does not need dedicated eye-tracking hardware, though its iPhone and iPad app requires a TrueDepth camera. Users can test websites and images without code changes, and the tool supports prototypes made with InVision, Marvel, and Sketch. Results show where participants looked and for how long through heat maps, screen recordings, and focus-point diagrams. Hawkeye can aggregate results across testers and provide statistics for individual interface elements. CSV exports include eye position, UI element, and touch data. Participants can be invited by text message using their phone numbers. Calibration centers the user's head, verifies calibration, and reports a five-star rating and accuracy estimate. Sign-in is available with Slack or Google, and company Slack teammates are automatically added to the same team. The free plan includes one project and five sessions; the Starter Plan costs $39.99 per month, billed monthly. Hawkeye runs on iPhone, iPad, and the web.

OpenGazer is a Linux application that uses an ordinary webcam to estimate gaze direction and send it to other programs. It also tracks head position and rotation, and displays the estimated gaze point, head-rotation lines, and calibration target. Setup calls for a camera at 640×480, placed centrally below the monitor. Users calibrate by looking at indicated screen points while keeping their head still, then choose facial tracking points; the project calls for at least four and recommends seven or eight. Gaze estimates appear on screen, print to standard output, and are sent through a local UDP socket on port 20230. Dasher is an example of software that can use the gaze direction for writing with the eyes. OpenGazer is free under GPLv2 and uses the X Window System interface. It is marked Alpha, with a last update listed as 2013-04-24. Building it requires VXL, OpenCV, gtkmm, cairomm, and Boost.