Introduction

Tobii Pro Studio is software used for recording and analyzing eye tracking data of Tobii eye trackers (only the older models, see what software and operating systems are compatible with Tobii eye trackers.)

Availability, support and advice

Tobii Pro Studio is available for researchers at FSW Leiden, but researchers are strongly advised to switch to Tobii Pro Lab (see also Transitioning from Tobii Studio to Tobii Pro Lab). Tobii Studio can be installed on managed work computers or lab computers until January 31st 2024. After Jan 31st, Tobii Studio will be available on a limited number of devices. SOLO cannot guarantee anything when it comes to how long it will be possible to use Tobii Studio at Leiden University. SOLO recommends backing-up and exporting Tobii Studio data.

Backing-up and exporting data

It is recommended to back-up and export any relevant Tobii Studio data before January 31^st 2024.

Important data to back-up or export:

• Project Archive: Make sure to export the Project Archive by going to File -> Export Project Archive. Select all recordings to export everything. The .nas file that is created can only be imported into Tobii Studio.
• Raw data: Also make sure to export the raw data, which is done in the Data Export tab. To export all raw data, make sure to select all recordings and all columns (all columns are selected by default). Do not forget to check the decimal separator using the Cell Format button. In general, it is advised to have a period (.) as decimal separator, which is standard in most software, but can also depend on the language settings of your pc. The raw data can potentially be analyzed in other software, although no ready-to-use solution currently exists.
• Stimuli, participant variables and progression details: Save the original stimuli that were used in the task. The stimuli are essential when analysis of the raw data is required without Tobii Studio. Also save/note the participant variables and progression details (for example the duration of each stimulus).
• Statistics: When the data is already processed in Tobii Studio (e.g. AOI’s have been created and if necessary Scenes or Segments have been created), export the necessary statistics/metrics (in the Statistics tab) and if desired some visualizations such as heat maps (in the Visualizations tab). When exporting statistics, make sure to check the decimal separator using the Cell Format button. In general, it is advised to have a period (.) as decimal separator, which is standard in most software, but can also depend on the language settings of your pc.
• Fixation filter settings: It can be useful to save the fixation filter settings, especially when the same task is recreated in Tobii Pro Lab and the filter settings need to be kept the same. The fixation filter settings can be found by going to Tools -> Settings and selecting the Fixation Filters tab. Make a screenshot of the fixation filter settings.
• AOI’s. AOI’s can be exported by going to the Areas of Interest tab and clicking Export. AOI’s are exported per media file. The export file contains information about the location and size of the AOI’s. Exporting the AOI’s can be useful when AOI’s need to be recreated in other software such as Tobii Pro Lab.

Other data that can be exported:

• Recording video’s. In the Replay tab it is possible to export the whole recording video or segments of the recording, including the gaze data that has been plotted over the video. These video’s can be exported by clicking Export Movie.

Transitioning from Tobii Studio to Tobii Pro Lab

The Tobii Academy: From Tobii Pro Studio to Tobii Pro Lab provides more information on transitioning from Studio to Pro Lab, and is recommended to read through (you need to create a free Tobii account to be able to view the Tobii Academy). Some general recommendations and considerations when recreating an experiment in Tobii Pro Lab are summarized below. More information on Tobii Pro Lab can be found on this wiki.

• Timing: There can be slight timing differences in stimulus presentation. In general, Tobii Pro Lab provides better timing of stimuli. This is mainly relevant when the timing of stimuli is critical. When exact timing needs to be recreated in Tobii Pro Lab, it is recommended to test and check the timing differences.
• Task design: Designing an experiment somewhat differs between Tobii Studio and Pro Lab. For example, randomization of stimuli has been improved in Tobii Pro Lab compared to Tobii Studio. Also, the Questionnaire stimulus does not exist in Tobii Pro Lab, although alternative solutions are possible. It should be possible to recreate a task in Tobii Pro Lab, although it might be necessary to use slightly different tools.
• Metrics: When analyzing the data, Tobii Pro Lab can generate almost all metrics that Tobii Studio could, as well as many more. The terminology has however changed here and there. A detailed explanation of the Tobii Studio metrics can be found in the Tobii Studio user guide, which can be downloaded here. More information on the Tobii Pro Lab metrics can be found in: Understanding Tobii Pro Lab’s eye tracking metrics.
• Terminology: In general, the terminology differs between Tobii Studio and Tobii Pro Lab. Some examples:
  • The AOI tags in Tobii Pro Lab are the same as the AOI groups in Tobii Studio
  • Tobii Pro Lab has events, intervals and Times of Interest, where Tobii Studio has events, segments and scenes. More information on events, intervals and Times of Interest in Tobii Pro Lab can be found here.
  • As mentioned before, terminology differs in the metric names.
• Fixation filter: When comparing data between Tobii Studio and Tobii Pro Lab, it is important to use the same Fixation/Gaze filter with the same settings. This filter is used to classify gaze samples into fixations and saccades. Both Tobii Studio and Pro Lab have a built-in I-VT filter, which is based on the same algorithm (see Tobii Pro Lab Gaze Filter for more information). The specific settings within this filter can however differ and keeping the settings the same is essential when comparing data between Studio and Pro Lab. In Tobii Studio, the fixation filter settings can be found when going to Tools -> Settings and selecting the Fixation Filters tab. In Tobii Pro Lab, the fixation filter (or Gaze filter) can be selected when going to a recording under Analyze, and then on the right side under Gaze data a Gaze Filter can be selected or created. To view the specific settings for a Gaze Filter, press the gear icon. To edit these settings, a new filter needs to be created. When a new filter is created, it is crucial to select this filter when exporting (Metrics) or visualizing (Metrics Visualization) the metrics. It is important to note that the default fixation/gaze setting of the I-VT Fixation filter are not the same for Tobii Studio and Tobii Pro Lab (see image below). The Gap fill-in is enabled by default in Tobii Studio, but disabled in Pro Lab. The Noise reduction is enabled by default in Pro Lab, but disabled in Studio. The Reclassify as saccade setting in Pro Lab did not exist in Tobii Studio, but is also disabled by default in Pro Lab.

Data comparability between Tobii Pro Studio and Tobii Pro Lab

It can be inevitable to switch from Tobii Studio to Tobii Pro Lab in the middle of a study. This raises questions about data comparability between Tobii Studio and Tobii Pro Lab. So far, there have been no studies that specifically looked at the comparability of data between Tobii Studio and Tobii Pro Lab. Tobii does recommend reading this article which compares the quality of different eye trackers (hardware) and says a similar approach can be used when replacing software. Tobii also advises to recognize that two different software packages have been used and variability can be introduced. Cases in which one participant group is handled in one software package and another participant group in another software package, should be avoided. Some considerations and recommendations to minimize variability:

• Task design: The task should be replicated as exact as possible. Make sure stimuli have the same size, randomization is the same, etc. Note that not all stimulus types that Tobii Studio had are present in Tobii Pro Lab, such as the Questionnaire (but alternative methods are possible). Also, as mentioned in Transitioning from Tobii Studio to Tobii Pro Lab, there are slight differences in timing. When timing in a task is critical, make sure to check and test the timing of both software packages.
• Fixation filter: Both Tobii Studio and Tobii Pro Lab have the same fixation filter, called I-VT filter. This filter uses the same algorithm in both software packages, thus, fixations can be classified in the same manner. It is however important to make sure that the same settings are used in the fixation filter. In Transitioning from Tobii Studio to Tobii Pro Lab important differences in the default settings of this filter are mentioned.
• AOI's: Make sure to recreate AOI's in the same way. AOI information can be exported from Tobii Studio to a text file (see Backing-up and exporting data). Although these text files cannot be imported into Tobii Pro Lab, they can help in generating exactly the same AOI's.
• TOI's: Make sure to recreate the Scenes and Segments as they were in Tobii Studio. In Tobii Pro Lab, these are called intervals and Times of Interest. More information on events, intervals and Times of Interest in Tobii Pro Lab can be found here.
• Metrics: Make sure to use the same metrics. The names of the metrics of Tobii Studio and Tobii Pro Lab can differ and Tobii Pro Lab has more metrics. A detailed explanation of the Tobii Studio metrics can be found in the Tobii Studio user guide, which can be downloaded here. More information on the Tobii Pro Lab metrics can be found in: Understanding Tobii Pro Lab’s eye tracking metrics.
• Justifying transitioning: Justify transitioning from Tobii Studio to Tobii Pro Lab in research publications. Recommendations about how to do this and what to mention can be found in the Tobii Academy: From Tobii Pro Studio to Tobii Pro Lab.

Recourses

• Tobii Pro Studio User Manual