Getting Graphics (Chapter 1 Outline)
The Meaning of Pictures
“Images reflect the the creator’s intent and signifies that there is information to be communicated”
- Designers and artists have the ability to synthesize information from different regions in the mind because they have been trained in such a way. We focus on spatial relationship and other granular information.
- Most typical viewers are focused on the central information that is up front.
- “Understanding how people process visual information will increase the likelihood that a designer will produce graphics that audiences understand”
Human Information Process
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External>Sensory Data> Sensory Memory> Working> Long Term
LONG TERM memory
storage
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WORKING memory
processing
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SENSORY memory
touch, smell, taste & hear
(Hearing is tied to language: we recognize audible parts of words)( just like we visually recognize the shapes of words)
RAW SENSORY DATA
(unconscious gathering of data)
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- We experience the world only partially through our vision. The other part of our experience is a compilation of other sensory data from our environment. We have the ability to process and put together these individual parts or sense to create the overall whole or reality.
Visual Perception
- The Fovea is the point in the eye where are of the light is focused. The retina then turns light into electrical pulses for the brain to interpret.
- Our eyes must continue to scan the environment (saccades). In between saccades, in about 3 second intervals, we extract visual data.
- We perceive objects energetically. We are active participants.
- Top-Down- influenced by memories, expectations, and intentions
- Bottom Up- driven by external stimulus (motion, colors, contours, shapes, contrasts & Gestalt principles)
- A lot of parallel processing helps make the the recognition process faster.
Sensory Memory
- Iconic Memory- Visual information
- Echoic Memory- Auditory information
Working Memory
- This is our mental workspace (short-term)(too busy to over think, either store or trash)
- To understand something we must relate it to something we already know.
- A person’s working memory is not constrained, but on average it can only manage 3-5 bits of information at once.
Cognitive Load
- The resources we use to satisfy the demands placed on working memory.
- a heavy cognitive load decreases the accuracy and efficiency of one’s working memory.