Enhancing Climate Information Accessibility: the Influence of Gaze Cues

Paper in proceeding, 2025

Climate change data is complex and difficult to interpret, which may hinder public participation in mitigation efforts. This study examines whether gaze cueing can enhance the accessibility of this information by directing visual attention in the climate information-based collaboration task. Twenty participants collaborated in groups of four on a climate-related task while wearing mobile eye trackers. In the experimental condition, participants received gaze cues in an instructional video before performing the task, the purpose of which was to choose the best strategy to mitigate climate change. Statistical analysis using the Levenshtein distance on scanpaths showed that gaze cues fostered attention synchronization. The findings suggest that gaze cues in groups effectively guide attention through complex climate information, which is the first step to its comprehension.