Call for User Study

What is a Trail-Making Test?

The Trail-Making Test is a clinical neuropsychological examination developed to test certain aspects of cognitive load on patients, more specifically visual attention and task-switching abilities. Labeled dots are scattered throughout one side of a piece of paper, and patients are tasked with connecting these dots in ascending order with a pencil. There are two variations of the Trail-Making Test: "Trails A" and "Trails B". The "A" variant involves connecting dots labeled with numbers in ascending order (1→2→3→4). The "B" variant involves connecting dots with labels alternating between numbers and letters in ascending order (1→A→2→B). Both variants are typically administered back-to-back, with the "B" variant intended to be the more difficult of the two.

Clinicians have historically administered these tests via paper-and-pencil means in their own offices, but an increase in the need to test for early signs of diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer's Disease has pushed the field into developing more convenient methods.

What is the 3-Dimensional Trail-Making Test?

The 3-Dimensional Trail-Making test is a digital variation on the Trail-Making Test. Rather than connecting dots with a pencil, the patient interacts with a touchscreen tablet. Dots are converted into 3D cubes and arranged in a spherical shape. The patient rotates the shape with the touchscreen, then taps the next labeled box. Boxes that have been selected correctly disappear, revealing more labeled boxes underneath. This test is meant to examine a patient's ability to maintain depth perception, basic understanding of 3-dimensional objects. It has also been designed to increase the cognitive load of this examination by having patients remember where boxes may have been seen, being aware of new boxes appearing, sometimes seeing number labels upside down, etc.

Who Are We?

This study is being conducted in collaboration between the User Interface Research Group of the IGARASHI Lab at the University of Tokyo, and the Sketch Recognition Lab at Texas A&M University in the USA. 

How Can I Help?

In order to better understand how this test examines a patient's cognitive load, we need as many people as possible to perform this test. Participants will be handed a tablet device and they will enter their alias of their choice. They will then complete both the "A" and "B" variants of the 3-Dimensional Trail-Making Test. The study should take under 10 minutes to complete.

Where Will the Study Take Place?

The study will take place at The University of Tokyo, on either the Hongo Campus or the Komaba Campus depending on the availability of the participant. In the Hongo Campus we will conduct the user study in Room 136 in the East Chemistry Building, next to Science Blg. 7. In the Komaba Campus, the user study will take place in the basement common area in the KOMCEE Building.

What do I Get for Participating?

As an appreciation for completing this study, all participants will receive a reward whose monetary value will be up to 1,000 JPY.

What Will You Do With the Collected Data? 

We will collect usage data such as the position of the cube at any given time, timing data (length of test time, time between correctly tapping boxes, etc.) where the participant tapped on a box, and whether the boxes tapped were correct. We will use these to develop a behavioral model for Japanese participants.


How Do I Sign Up?

Please click on the link below to see available time slots and to schedule your participation. We thank you for your participation and support!

Click Here to Participate at the Komaba Campus

Click Here to Participate at the Hongo Campus