There Is More to Dwell Than Meets the Eye: Toward Better Gaze-Based Text Entry Systems With Multi-Threshold Dwell

Aunnoy K  Mutasim; Mohammad Raihanul  Bashar; Christof Lutteroth; Anil Ufuk  Batmaz; Wolfgang Stuerzlinger

doi:10.1145/3706598.3713781

There Is More to Dwell Than Meets the Eye: Toward Better Gaze-Based Text Entry Systems With Multi-Threshold Dwell

Aunnoy K Mutasim
, Mohammad Raihanul Bashar
, Christof Lutteroth
, Anil Ufuk Batmaz
, Wolfgang Stuerzlinger

Simon Fraser University, Vancouver
Concordia University

Research output: Chapter or section in a book/report/conference proceeding › Chapter in a published conference proceeding

6 Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

Dwell-based text entry seems to peak at 20 words per minute (WPM). Yet, little is known about the factors contributing to this limit, except that it requires extensive training. Thus, we conducted a longitudinal study, broke the overall dwell-based selection time into six different components, and identified several design challenges and opportunities. Subsequently, we designed two novel dwell keyboards that use multiple yet much shorter dwell thresholds: Dual-Threshold Dwell (DTD) and Multi-Threshold Dwell (MTD). The performance analysis showed that MTD (18.3 WPM) outperformed both DTD (15.3 WPM) and the conventional Constant-Threshold Dwell (12.9 WPM). Notably, absolute novices achieved these speeds within just 30 phrases. Moreover, MTD’s performance is also the fastest-ever reported average text entry speed for gaze-based keyboards. Finally, we discuss how our chosen parameters can be further optimized to pave the way toward more efficient dwell-based text entry.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	CHI 2025 - Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Subtitle of host publication	Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Place of Publication	New York, U. S. A.
Publisher	Association for Computing Machinery
Pages	1-18
ISBN (Electronic)	9798400713941
ISBN (Print)	9798400713941
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3713781
Publication status	Published - 26 Apr 2025

Publication series

Name	Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 Copyright held by the owner/author(s). Publication rights licensed to ACM.

Keywords

Dwell Thresholds
Eye Gaze
Eye-Tracking
Learnability
QWERTY
Text Entry

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Human-Computer Interaction
Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design
Software

Access to Document

10.1145/3706598.3713781

Cite this

Mutasim, A. K., Bashar, M. R., Lutteroth, C., Batmaz, A. U., & Stuerzlinger, W. (2025). There Is More to Dwell Than Meets the Eye: Toward Better Gaze-Based Text Entry Systems With Multi-Threshold Dwell. In CHI 2025 - Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems: Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1-18). Article 1088 (Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings). Association for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3713781

There Is More to Dwell Than Meets the Eye: Toward Better Gaze-Based Text Entry Systems With Multi-Threshold Dwell. / Mutasim, Aunnoy K ; Bashar, Mohammad Raihanul ; Lutteroth, Christof et al.
CHI 2025 - Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems: Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. New York, U. S. A.: Association for Computing Machinery, 2025. p. 1-18 1088 (Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings).

Research output: Chapter or section in a book/report/conference proceeding › Chapter in a published conference proceeding

Mutasim, AK, Bashar, MR, Lutteroth, C, Batmaz, AU & Stuerzlinger, W 2025, There Is More to Dwell Than Meets the Eye: Toward Better Gaze-Based Text Entry Systems With Multi-Threshold Dwell. in CHI 2025 - Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems: Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems., 1088, Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings, Association for Computing Machinery, New York, U. S. A., pp. 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3713781

Mutasim AK, Bashar MR, Lutteroth C, Batmaz AU, Stuerzlinger W. There Is More to Dwell Than Meets the Eye: Toward Better Gaze-Based Text Entry Systems With Multi-Threshold Dwell. In CHI 2025 - Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems: Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. New York, U. S. A.: Association for Computing Machinery. 2025. p. 1-18. 1088. (Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings). doi: 10.1145/3706598.3713781

Mutasim, Aunnoy K ; Bashar, Mohammad Raihanul ; Lutteroth, Christof et al. / There Is More to Dwell Than Meets the Eye : Toward Better Gaze-Based Text Entry Systems With Multi-Threshold Dwell. CHI 2025 - Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems: Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. New York, U. S. A. : Association for Computing Machinery, 2025. pp. 1-18 (Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings).

@inproceedings{e809545f5e9f4e94bd15c3a04de5a54c,

title = "There Is More to Dwell Than Meets the Eye: Toward Better Gaze-Based Text Entry Systems With Multi-Threshold Dwell",

abstract = "Dwell-based text entry seems to peak at 20 words per minute (WPM). Yet, little is known about the factors contributing to this limit, except that it requires extensive training. Thus, we conducted a longitudinal study, broke the overall dwell-based selection time into six different components, and identified several design challenges and opportunities. Subsequently, we designed two novel dwell keyboards that use multiple yet much shorter dwell thresholds: Dual-Threshold Dwell (DTD) and Multi-Threshold Dwell (MTD). The performance analysis showed that MTD (18.3 WPM) outperformed both DTD (15.3 WPM) and the conventional Constant-Threshold Dwell (12.9 WPM). Notably, absolute novices achieved these speeds within just 30 phrases. Moreover, MTD{\textquoteright}s performance is also the fastest-ever reported average text entry speed for gaze-based keyboards. Finally, we discuss how our chosen parameters can be further optimized to pave the way toward more efficient dwell-based text entry.",

keywords = "Dwell Thresholds, Eye Gaze, Eye-Tracking, Learnability, QWERTY, Text Entry",

author = "Mutasim, \{Aunnoy K\} and Bashar, \{Mohammad Raihanul\} and Christof Lutteroth and Batmaz, \{Anil Ufuk\} and Wolfgang Stuerzlinger",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2025 Copyright held by the owner/author(s). Publication rights licensed to ACM.",

year = "2025",

month = apr,

day = "26",

doi = "10.1145/3706598.3713781",

language = "English",

isbn = "9798400713941",

series = "Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings",

publisher = "Association for Computing Machinery",

pages = "1--18",

booktitle = "CHI 2025 - Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems",

address = "USA United States",

}

TY - GEN

T1 - There Is More to Dwell Than Meets the Eye

T2 - Toward Better Gaze-Based Text Entry Systems With Multi-Threshold Dwell

AU - Mutasim, Aunnoy K

AU - Bashar, Mohammad Raihanul

AU - Lutteroth, Christof

AU - Batmaz, Anil Ufuk

AU - Stuerzlinger, Wolfgang

PY - 2025/4/26

Y1 - 2025/4/26

N2 - Dwell-based text entry seems to peak at 20 words per minute (WPM). Yet, little is known about the factors contributing to this limit, except that it requires extensive training. Thus, we conducted a longitudinal study, broke the overall dwell-based selection time into six different components, and identified several design challenges and opportunities. Subsequently, we designed two novel dwell keyboards that use multiple yet much shorter dwell thresholds: Dual-Threshold Dwell (DTD) and Multi-Threshold Dwell (MTD). The performance analysis showed that MTD (18.3 WPM) outperformed both DTD (15.3 WPM) and the conventional Constant-Threshold Dwell (12.9 WPM). Notably, absolute novices achieved these speeds within just 30 phrases. Moreover, MTD’s performance is also the fastest-ever reported average text entry speed for gaze-based keyboards. Finally, we discuss how our chosen parameters can be further optimized to pave the way toward more efficient dwell-based text entry.

AB - Dwell-based text entry seems to peak at 20 words per minute (WPM). Yet, little is known about the factors contributing to this limit, except that it requires extensive training. Thus, we conducted a longitudinal study, broke the overall dwell-based selection time into six different components, and identified several design challenges and opportunities. Subsequently, we designed two novel dwell keyboards that use multiple yet much shorter dwell thresholds: Dual-Threshold Dwell (DTD) and Multi-Threshold Dwell (MTD). The performance analysis showed that MTD (18.3 WPM) outperformed both DTD (15.3 WPM) and the conventional Constant-Threshold Dwell (12.9 WPM). Notably, absolute novices achieved these speeds within just 30 phrases. Moreover, MTD’s performance is also the fastest-ever reported average text entry speed for gaze-based keyboards. Finally, we discuss how our chosen parameters can be further optimized to pave the way toward more efficient dwell-based text entry.

KW - Dwell Thresholds

KW - Eye Gaze

KW - Eye-Tracking

KW - Learnability

KW - QWERTY

KW - Text Entry

UR - https://revealcentre.org/projects/there-is-more-to-dwell-than-meets-the-eye/

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105005752829

U2 - 10.1145/3706598.3713781

DO - 10.1145/3706598.3713781

M3 - Chapter in a published conference proceeding

SN - 9798400713941

T3 - Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings

SP - 1

EP - 18

BT - CHI 2025 - Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

PB - Association for Computing Machinery

CY - New York, U. S. A.

ER -

There Is More to Dwell Than Meets the Eye: Toward Better Gaze-Based Text Entry Systems With Multi-Threshold Dwell

Abstract

Publication series

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Cite this