Denso halves training time thanks to eye tracking

With the goal to cut training time Denso's highly skilled inspectors wore eye tracking glasses while conducting an inspection. The eye tracking data revealed their visual patterns providing an explanation to what was behind their high quality and efficiency.

The background 

Staff turnover can have a huge impact on training expenses and quality control, especially in the manufacturing sector. Like many companies, most of Denso’s production is automated, but humans are still in charge of the final quality inspections. The parts producer wanted to see how it could help new employees deliver the same efficiency and accuracy as experienced staff when carrying out important quality checks. 

The method  

An eye tracking study was conducted at one of their factories in Japan and it revealed some vital information on what differentiates the methods of experienced workers from those of new recruits. 

In an inspection, two parts are checked together at the same time. The eye tracking data revealed that by moving their eyes along the parts in the shape of a number 2, the experienced inspectors were more likely to notice something unusual as this method allowed them to focus on key aspects and thoroughly check them. In contrast, the eye tracking study revealed that inexperienced employees had unstable gaze patterns and looked haphazardly at different sections of the parts. 

The conclusion  

The gaze recordings of experienced inspectors carrying out these standardized tasks have been used to more effectively train new staff. It’s been so successful that the company has not only been able to improve accuracy and efficiency of the inspection process, but also to halve the time required to train new staff.