Enhancing Virtual Hearings: Interactive User Interface with Face Recognition for Improved Human-Computer Interaction

Virtual court hearings have rapidly become a cornerstone of modern judicial systems, driven by the need for efficiency, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, current legal solutions in the digital channels face challenges such as monitoring participant engagement, ensuring secure communications, and maintaining procedural decorum. This paper discusses two digital solutions aimed at addressing these challenges: an eye-tracking tool designed to monitor participant engagement by detecting gaze direction and eye states, and a video conferencing application built on a Selective Forwarding Unit (SFU) architecture that optimizes network performance and ensures secure, orderly proceedings. The paper provides an in-depth literature review, details the system design and implementation for both prototypes (including mathematical formulations for gaze error and bandwidth efficiency), discusses legal, ethical, and privacy implications, and presents case studies from various jurisdictions. Finally, future directions are explored, highlighting challenges and opportunities for further refinement. This integrated approach demonstrates that enhancing human-computer interaction (HCI) in virtual hearings through specialized UI design and innovative engagement monitoring can greatly improve the overall efficacy of remote legal proceedings.