Visual Perception 2 / Feature Hierarchy

Above is a photograph of the interior of a Lamborghini Gallardo. As mentioned in lecture, pre-attentive features are ones that catch the eye before we are even conscious of what it is that we are looking at. The primary pre-attentive feature is the color yellow.  The yellow color immediately stands out over the black features.  The visual hierarchy is denoted by the he seats, center consol, air vents, dash, and door handles being yellow; highlighting the importance of these features. The interior of this car is an example of both bottom up and top down processing. The color yellow itself is an example of bottom up processing because it highlights patterns, shapes, and objects. The location of the yellow along with the rest of the black features is an example of top down processing; requiring direct eye movement. The yellow is a very effective in terms of visual hierarchy and feature channels. 

http://automobile303.blogspot.com/2011/10/lamborghini-gallardo-interior-pictures.html#axzz29hVM6GmY

Visual Perception 1 / Top-Down Visual Processing

Top down visual processing is “driven by the demands of attention, which we determined by the needs of the tasks” (Ware).  This type of processing is goal biased, and focused on attention. The puzzle pictured above is an example of top down visual processing.  For the user, the goal is to complete the puzzle, which requires focused attention on the uniquely cut squares in order to figure out which ones fit with the rest.  Most of the puzzle is in one color, so attention is focused on the shapes, rather than the colors.  

A cockpit of an F-22 is another example of top down visual processing.  A pilot must focus his attention on the relevant information by scanning back and forth between what is being displayed on each gauge and screen.  The goal is to read every bit of information in order to navigate, or accomplish another necessary task. 

Design Success and Failure / Syntactical Guidelines

Syntactical guidelines have been put to good use in this photograph. The asymmetric balance creates drama and tension in the photograph, giving off a very dynamic composition. Every part of the shot is analyzed in terms of triangles, creating a fast moving effect.  

This photograph fails to follow syntactical guidelines and takes on an ambiguous composition. The car itself is static and balanced, but everything else in the photo lack balance. There are some cars in the background, a fence, and trees that are not particularly arranged in any way; adding nothing to the composition and taking attention away from the car.  The photograph fails to depict the car as a powerful, luxurious, and fast moving sports car.