An Eye Movement Study in Unconventional Usage of Different Software Tools

Abstract

One of the main challenges of Human-Computer Interaction is the creation of UIs that enable the use of different systems in an easy and understandable method. The study analyses the student audience who uses software tools differently from the basis. In the research, two languages supporting UI implementation related to .NET technology, XAML and classic C#, were compared in terms of the cognitive load of test subjects. The results of the traditional knowledge level assessment tests and the answers to the questionnaires show that the UI implementation described in XAML is easier to read and understand than the same description in classic C#. When viewing the source codes, the eye movement parameters of the test subjects were also recorded and then evaluated, where a significant difference in the number and duration of fixations was observed, i.e., the interpretation of the classic C# source code showed a larger cognitive load. Overall, the results of the eye movement parameters supported the results of the other two measurement methods when comparing the different types of UI descriptions. The results established in the study and its conclusion may have an impact on programming education as well as industrial software development in the future, and also clearly shows the importance of choosing the development technology that best suits the person or development team.