Visual Attention Software: A New Tool for Understanding the “Subliminal” Experience of the Built Environment
Eye-tracking technology is a biometric tool that has found many commercial and research applications. The recent advent of affordable wearable sensors has considerably expanded the range of these possibilities to fields such as computer gaming, education, entertainment, health, neuromarketing, psych...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-07-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/13/6197 |
| _version_ | 1827688274961891328 |
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| author | Alexandros A. Lavdas Nikos A. Salingaros Ann Sussman |
| author_facet | Alexandros A. Lavdas Nikos A. Salingaros Ann Sussman |
| author_sort | Alexandros A. Lavdas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Eye-tracking technology is a biometric tool that has found many commercial and research applications. The recent advent of affordable wearable sensors has considerably expanded the range of these possibilities to fields such as computer gaming, education, entertainment, health, neuromarketing, psychology, etc. The Visual Attention Software by 3M (3M-VAS) is an artificial intelligence application that was formulated using experimental data from eye-tracking. It can be used to predict viewer reactions to images, generating fixation point probability maps and fixation point sequence estimations, thus revealing pre-attentive processing of visual stimuli with a very high degree of accuracy. We have used 3M-VAS software in an innovative implementation to analyze images of different buildings, either in their original state or photographically manipulated, as well as various geometric patterns. The software not only reveals non-obvious fixation points, but also overall relative design coherence, a key element of Christopher Alexander’s theory of geometrical order. A more evenly distributed field of attention seen in some structures contrasts with other buildings being ignored, those showing instead unconnected points of splintered attention. Our findings are non-intuitive and surprising. We link these results to both Alexander’s theory and Neuroscience, identify potential pitfalls in the software’s use, and also suggest ways to avoid them. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T09:52:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2a195be74f614ac68db747a549e3da4f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T09:52:34Z |
| publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-2a195be74f614ac68db747a549e3da4f2023-11-22T02:35:04ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172021-07-011113619710.3390/app11136197Visual Attention Software: A New Tool for Understanding the “Subliminal” Experience of the Built EnvironmentAlexandros A. Lavdas0Nikos A. Salingaros1Ann Sussman2Eurac Research, Institute for Biomedicine, Affiliated Institute of the University of Lübeck, Via Galvani 31, 39100 Bolzano, ItalyDepartment of Mathematics and Architecture, The University of Texas, San Antonio, TX 78249, USAThe Human Architecture & Planning Institute, Inc., 43 Bradford St., Concord, MA 01742, USAEye-tracking technology is a biometric tool that has found many commercial and research applications. The recent advent of affordable wearable sensors has considerably expanded the range of these possibilities to fields such as computer gaming, education, entertainment, health, neuromarketing, psychology, etc. The Visual Attention Software by 3M (3M-VAS) is an artificial intelligence application that was formulated using experimental data from eye-tracking. It can be used to predict viewer reactions to images, generating fixation point probability maps and fixation point sequence estimations, thus revealing pre-attentive processing of visual stimuli with a very high degree of accuracy. We have used 3M-VAS software in an innovative implementation to analyze images of different buildings, either in their original state or photographically manipulated, as well as various geometric patterns. The software not only reveals non-obvious fixation points, but also overall relative design coherence, a key element of Christopher Alexander’s theory of geometrical order. A more evenly distributed field of attention seen in some structures contrasts with other buildings being ignored, those showing instead unconnected points of splintered attention. Our findings are non-intuitive and surprising. We link these results to both Alexander’s theory and Neuroscience, identify potential pitfalls in the software’s use, and also suggest ways to avoid them.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/13/6197eye-trackingvisual attentionpredictive engagementsubconscious attractiondesign toolscoherence |
| spellingShingle | Alexandros A. Lavdas Nikos A. Salingaros Ann Sussman Visual Attention Software: A New Tool for Understanding the “Subliminal” Experience of the Built Environment Applied Sciences eye-tracking visual attention predictive engagement subconscious attraction design tools coherence |
| title | Visual Attention Software: A New Tool for Understanding the “Subliminal” Experience of the Built Environment |
| title_full | Visual Attention Software: A New Tool for Understanding the “Subliminal” Experience of the Built Environment |
| title_fullStr | Visual Attention Software: A New Tool for Understanding the “Subliminal” Experience of the Built Environment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Visual Attention Software: A New Tool for Understanding the “Subliminal” Experience of the Built Environment |
| title_short | Visual Attention Software: A New Tool for Understanding the “Subliminal” Experience of the Built Environment |
| title_sort | visual attention software a new tool for understanding the subliminal experience of the built environment |
| topic | eye-tracking visual attention predictive engagement subconscious attraction design tools coherence |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/13/6197 |
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