"Old Habits Die Hard!": Eyetracking Based Experiential Transcoding: A Study with Mobile Users
Elgin Akpınar, Yeliz Yeşilada · 2015 · Proceedings of the 12th International Web for All Conference (W4A) · doi:10.1145/2745555.2746646
Summary
This paper presents an eyetracking-based approach to experiential transcoding — the practice of reformatting web pages into more accessible forms based on understanding how users actually experience and navigate content. The authors built on their earlier eMine project, which uses eyetracking data to identify the common visual paths people follow when browsing web pages. Their method works in three stages: first, it segments web pages into visual elements using an extended Vision Based Page Segmentation (VIPS) algorithm; second, it analyzes eyetracking data to identify the trending scanpath that users typically follow; and third, it uses this information to transcode the page, reorganizing content to match natural browsing patterns. The research team developed an Android prototype application that presented web pages in either their original form or a transcoded version. The transcoded version offered navigation buttons to move through visual elements in scanpath order and a summary view listing all visual elements on the page. The study used six websites of varying visual complexity (low, medium, and high) that had been used in the team's previous eyetracking research. This work sits at the intersection of mobile accessibility and disability accessibility, as both small-screen device users and disabled users (particularly screen reader users) face similar challenges navigating visually complex web pages designed for desktop consumption.
Key findings
The study involved 50 participants who completed browsing and searching tasks on either original or transcoded web pages using a Samsung Galaxy S3. Results were measured using the After-Scenario Questionnaire (ASQ) and Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire (PSSUQ), covering task completion satisfaction, system usability, information quality, and interface quality. While transcoded pages consistently scored higher mean values across all four measures (ASQ: 6.30 vs 6.11; SYSUSE: 6.20 vs 5.85; INFOQUAL: 6.30 vs 5.89; INTERQUAL: 5.76 vs 5.65), none of these differences reached statistical significance. The central finding — captured in the paper's title — is that users' established browsing habits strongly influence their perception of new interfaces. Even when participants performed objectively better with transcoded pages, they remained attached to familiar interaction patterns. Notably, participants with web design and development backgrounds showed significantly greater satisfaction with transcoded pages, suggesting that technical familiarity with web structure helped them appreciate the reorganized content. Some participants could not complete browsing tasks on original pages but still expressed preference for the familiar format.
Relevance
This research highlights a critical challenge for accessibility interventions: even when assistive approaches demonstrably improve performance, users may resist or undervalue them because of deeply ingrained interaction habits. This has direct implications for how accessibility tools and features are introduced to users — gradual, personalized adaptation may be more effective than wholesale interface changes. The paper's finding that web-savvy users benefited more from transcoding suggests that training and familiarization are important factors in the adoption of accessibility solutions. The parallel drawn between mobile users and disabled users reinforces the concept of situational impairment, where environmental constraints create accessibility barriers similar to those experienced by people with disabilities. For practitioners, the key takeaway is that content transcoding and adaptation must be individualized and account for users' existing mental models rather than applying one-size-fits-all transformations.
Tags: transcoding · eyetracking · mobile web · situational impairment · user experience · personalization · web accessibility