CH 2 DIRECT THE EYES
We shift our visual attention from one location to another
in a serial manner to extract the information we want.
A designer or illustrator can assist by purposefully guiding
the viewer’s eyes through the structure of a graphic. Essential techniques.
Two principal purposes:
Steer the viewer’s attention along a path according to the
intended ranking order and to draw the viewer’s attention to specific elements
of importance.
Eyes fixate on the areas that are most interesting and
informative.
We are biased toward left-to-right eye movements and
top-to-bottom movements.
Signing with visual cues like arrows, color, and captions.
Compositional and signing techniques guide the eyes.
When a graphic is highlighted as it is being discussed viewers
retain more information and are better able to transfer this information.
IMPORTANCE OF ATTENTION
Through selective attention, we send visual information
onward through the visual information-processing system.
Eye movements reflect mental processes. Focus of attention
usually coincides with what we are seeing it is not absolute.
The movement of attention precedes the movement of the eyes,
intentionally directing the eye helps to ensure they are aligned.
Take advantage of bottom-up-processing & top-down-processing
to direct the viewer’s attention.
ENHANCING COGNITIVE PROCESSES
Promotes speedy perception:
In a complex graphic when a viewer is directed to a precise
location search time is reduced and efficiency is increased.
Improves Processing:
Viewers can be distracted by powerful but irrelevant visual
information. Directing the eyes can help ensure that irrelevant information is
neither dwelled upon nor processed. Diminishes the demands placed on working
memory.
Increases Comprehension:
Organization is known to improve comprehension because it
provides a cognitive framework. Well-organized information helps viewers
construct coherent representations in working memory, making it easier to
assimilate new information into existing schemas.
APPLYING THE PRINCIPLE:
Focal point, elements relationships, size, position to show
informative purpose of the graphic, it’s degree of visual complexity, and characteristics
of the audience.
POSITION:
Edges of a graphic or “frame” have a powerful effect on a
composition.
Viewers anticipate the top of the page will be the most
important. Left upper half of the field. Varying the position of an object in a
frame changes its impact on the observer.
EMPHASIS:
Contrast between elements should enhance the message, as the
audience will interpret a difference as meaningful.
Incongruence: the placement of an unexpected object in a
familiar context. This Challenges our schemas.
MOVEMENT:
Movement is an energetic force or tension between lines,
textures, shapes, and forms of a graphic. Sweeps the viewers attention through
a picture. Left to right may be neurological. Depth perception creates visual
hierarchy.
EYE GAZE:
We are attuned to detecting faces and eyes. Facial
expressions convey important and emotional interpersonal information. We
automatically shift our eyes in the direction someone else is looking.
Designers can use this to their advantage by have a person gazing in a certain
direction or showing certain emotion.
VISUAL CUES:
Visual cues optimize the viewing experience by providing a
shortcut to relevant information, rendering the need for a visual search
unnecessary. Visual cues include arrows, color, and captions. They speed up the
search for relevant information.
ARROWS AND THE LIKE:
An arrow’s recognition and meaning are easy and automatic
for those familiar with the symbol. When designing a pointer arrow, it must be sufficiently
dominant to capture the viewer’s attention, but it should not overpower the
holistic perception of the graphic.
COLOR CUES:
Color is a primitive feature we detect in pre-attentive
vision. It helps us rapidly search, distinguish and memorize information. Avoid
using too many colors.
