User blog

In this blog I try to give a few tips and ideas to other users for mouse control, I discovered. First thing is, as you can read about it in one of my previous blogs, to get the settings right. It might take a while to hit the right spot but trust me, it is well worth the time dedicated. When you are done with settings and are already a bit familiar with the reaction of the mouse cursor, give a try to my tips.

First of all, let me point out that the actual location of the mouse cursor is at the tip of the arrow, NOT in the middle of it. This can be confusing sometimes when you think you hit the target with the mouse and you still get a different to what was desired magnified image on the screen in front of you.

So TIP #1 is make sure that you click with the tip of the mouse pointer and not with the middle of it.

I can`t be sure about other users, but I certainly used to have a problem with the default Windows system mouse scheme pointer set. I found it too small, and especially in front of bright backgrounds was difficult to see the edges of the pointer, therefore, precise clicking proved to be a problem. I decided to dig deep into Windows Control Panel settings – Start Menu -> Control Panel -> look for pointer and / or mouse settings depending on which view you use – in the hope of finding something which works better for me. This is how I ended up with the “Windows Inverted Extra Large System Scheme” mouse pointer. It says it all in its name why this is the best choice:
– extra large size for easier visible detection
– inverted behaviour; show inverted image when over objects on the screen (e.g.: turns black on top of white and vice versa)

TIP #2 is to make sure you use the most suitable mouse cursor set for your preferences; my advice is the Windows Inverted Extra Large System Scheme mouse cursor set

There is one big problem with this though. Despite all the positive effects, at the end of the day this cursor set is just an enlarged and inverted version of the system scheme. This means, you still have to pay attention to what I wrote in the first tip.
I say the best mouse cursor set should have an inverted crosshair as the default mouse pointer with thick lines. When dwelling, the dwell clock could appear inside the crosshair to indicate how long is left of the actual activation. And, of course, all this in extra large size because we all like when things are large and well visible, don`t we?

Chris
Pro tobii user

Nowadays, internet is everything. We can order anything online, don`t even have to leave the house for the tiniest of things. We can work from home, keep in touch with friends and all sorts of things.

To use the internet for a so called normal user is an easy enough thing to do. Just grab a computer connected to the internet use a mouse and a keyboard, and off you go. This is not the case with eye gaze users though.
Luckily, there are several ways for us to go online, too. I personally use three ways. Two of these are via the Grid 2 from Sensory Software. I created a gird set for Firefox docked on top but this method involves the Computer Control workspace which makes the use of this browser a bit cumbersome.

The Grid 2 also contains a built-in workspace for browsing online content. As far as I know, this workspace is pretty much based on Internet Explorer. Links, the address bar, etc are accessible through cells which is good. The good side of this is that the program reads all links out loud, word prediction can be used; the downside is that going through all the links is quite a long procedure and I don`t look at the actually active workspace while searching through links on the page.

The third way, for me anyway, is tobii`s built-in browser. This is one is great because it combines mouse control with different mouse click types and with dwell activated cells. Also magnifies certain areas on the screen, like links for example. Huge problem is that word prediction cannot be used or not available yet. A little feature – supporting preinstalled speech engines – could also make life much easier: read out links, emails loud, etc. I would also prefer a Tobii Studio look like eye control (scrolling on the page with eyes easier, a more direct feedback to support the eyes) with a little modification.

UPDATE #1 here is the video link I am referring to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f906DfRSp7I

UPDATE #2 Just got to know this morning that there is a so called Read mode in the tobii`s web browser which enabled autoscroll. For this just have to activate this mode by clicking on the Book looking Icon. Thanks for Aron Yu for this info.

The eye gaze feedback could act in a similar way to the default Windows system mouse cursor.

What I mean is as follows: obviously, the feedback is located where I look at but have the dwell clock in the top right corner like the system busy mouse cursor. This brings up another problem. I would imagine, that quite a number of users prefer not to have any feedback of where they are looking at on the screen. Trouble is, that this option cannot be turned on for different workspaces – like have it on for the web browser and have it off for the other user interfaces –.

Looking forward to hear from other users!

Chris
Pro tobii user

P.S.: sorry about the picture links, still investigating how to embed them in a better way

UPDATE #3 Embedded pictures sorted :)

Yesterday, while playing around with my tobii I discovered something interesting. I am used to certain settings on the P10, to settings which are tried and proved to be the best for me. For a reason though, my eyes worked brilliantly, and responded much faster than usual. Due to this fact, I struggled to control my tobii, had problems hitting certain areas with my eyes, etc. Recalibration didn`t help, even tried to change the calibration area without any success. Then, thought about altering some of the settings in the Advanced Settings Menu of the Tobii software. Decided to work in Mouse Control, just to get my eyes warmed up for the rest of the work on the P10.
Sadly, controlling the mouse cursor proved to be a hard task, too. Therefore, because of the highly responsive eye action, I decided to go into extremes with my tobii`s mouse control settings. Kept fixation sensitivity at low level, dwell time my default (843ms) and changed the mouse cursor speed to very fast from normal. Voila, everything is great, I can`t remember ever being able to use mouse control this well. In fact, I was so enthusiastic about this success, that I decided to stick with mouse control for the rest of the evening. Imagine, that I could even bring up the tiniest icons, from the bottom right of the screen. For instance, connect and disconnect to my wireless network on my own; I could restart my XP as fast as a mouse user can. Doesn`t this sound just fantastic? :)

You, reader, might think that there is a conflict in this blog. When I say, the responsiveness of my eyes caused the problem I mean that they simply weren`t suitable for my default settings on the P10. Or even the other way around. I just think, that if the tobii software could detect how the users` eyes work and automatically adjust itself to changing capabilities – not by manual alteration of settings and recalibration – would save a few worries for users and their helpers as well. Not to mention, what if one can only have access to a P10 at school, where staff might not be best trained. If this idea could be implemented in the tobii software would make life so much easier. Tobii P10 users, in general, probably already find it quite difficult to express exactly what their problems are. What if the device which should be used to help in this, cannot function as it should and there is either no help, or the problem is lost somewhere in between the way from the user to the helper; therefore, can`t be solved?

So, I say to automatically adapt the tobii`s settings to certain changing needs should be a way for development to pay attention to. Just imagine, if your tobii could adjust itself for more responsive eyes to use faster dwell times, mouse movements and in turn for a less responsive user could do the opposite. Wouldn`t you just love it?

Chris
Pro tobii user

I just got my MyTobii and I love it. However, I am having trouble with the tracking motor. Sometimes it flickers red for awhile and starts working again. I do not understand why this is happening. Could someone help me with this problem? Thanks

Hi everyone!

What do you think about the new Community? Do you like it? Is anything unclear on how to creat blogs or send messages – please let me know!

Have fun! /Cecilia