Dive Brief:
- Eye tracking may not be the newest technology, but a new application for the tool promises to improve employee training, according to Chief Learning Officer. Tobii Pro Insight has been working with businesses to use eye tracking to fast-track employee onboarding and reduce accidents on the job.
- Using the tech, they’re able to create job training videos for new hires, the site reports. Rather than listen to someone explain how to do the work, the videos allow trainees to see the work being executed from the trainer's perspective. The tech also can help minimize risk, the group says; in a sample of foundry workers, they were able to identify a specific attention pattern in successful execution of dangerous tasks, helping the company determine what behaviors could lead to accidents.
- The study also revealed the level of visual focus required to perform work that can put employees at risk for attentional strain — a factor that could contribute to errors. Chief Learning Officer says that the data helped the group recommend the optimal time an employee should be on shift before being given a break, which is potentially critical information for employers looking to minimize risk.
Dive Insight:
Eye-tracking tech has only been portable and unobtrusive enough to use in the last five years or so, but many businesses are now finding applications for it. Eye tracking can be integrated into VR headsets to track where workers are looking as they perform tasks in the virtual realm — information that is proving desirable for employers.
As more companies adopt VR for their training needs, eye tracking could prove invaluable to determine if and where learners are focused. Another recent study shows multisensory learning helps employees learn faster and retain more knowledge. One company found that versus video learning, VR trainees learned the material faster and made fewer mistakes later. Eye-tracking may well be the next layer in that process.
