Visual vs Symbolic Language

     Doubtful. Worried. Contemplative. Uncertainty. Depression. Grief. Frustration. Exhaustion. A feeling of having both hopelessness and helplessness. Wondering what will happen next. Feeling out of place. Searching for something. Lost. Needing a solution. Trying to find comfort. Stressful. Restless. Scared.

     A group of people are seated at a seminar for the unemployed. In the lower left corner, the photo focuses in on what appears to be the main subject of the image-- a young, blond man wearing a black shirt. His hands are folded together in an almost prayer-like position and rest on top of his head. His face is somewhat hidden due to the fact that he is staring downwards with his folded hands covering it. Yet observing from his side profile, he seems to have an expression on his face that indicates he is experiencing a negative emotion. Although the rest of the photo is blurred and out of focus, behind the young man are other individuals who are seated in the same row as him. Two of them are conversing with each other, another individual appears to be playing with his or her phone, and two men are staring straight ahead.

image (URL): "http://money.cnn.com/2010/04/23/news/economy/extending_unemployment_benefits/"

Visual Thinking Research

    
     In this puzzle, you are asked to count how many triangles you can find within the pentagonal structure. I had my mother do the exercise with me (my puzzle on the left, hers on the right). Although we did not find all 35 triangles that was stated in the solution page, we both did use similar strategies in counting off the triangles. We started with the tiny triangles that were more obvious. Then we used McKim's method of "finding," in which we tried to search for triangular designs that are concealed among the lines. This was challenging because a good portion of the triangles overlapped, creating a distraction when counting. We also tried using the method of rotation in which we scanned for triangles that are placed in various positions.

     In this puzzle, you are asked to find the two umbrellas that are identical. With the color sequences shown, it was actually quite difficult to find the two matching umbrellas, and we both ended up not finding the correct pair. Again, both of our strategies were alike in that we went through the "long" way of matching. Because the color patterns look so similar, we went through a detail-by detail comparison and categorized according to similar patterns that we discovered. For example, if we picked up on a certain color sequence, we would try to match it with another umbrella that shared that very same feature. This pattern recognition was the main focus in trying to find the matching pair. Also, since there was a possibility of the umbrellas being rotated, we visualized a fixed image of an umbrella in a different position. This second method  of "rotation" was challenging due to the fact that we had to find a color pattern first.

Feature Hierarchy and Visual Search

     The internet contains a wide range of information for viewers to see. Some of these contents cater to what we are searching for while others are unnecessary information that we tend to skip over. As we peruse through websites, it is natural for us to quickly scan over a page as we may not have the time to absorb all that is displayed on a website. The sequence of eye movements that we make as we scan a page shows that we can only pick up information that we need as we focus our attention on something. Such visual queries express significance in terms of web designing. We must design a website in order to make it more efficient in processing information faster. The use of feature channels, such as color, spatial grouping, typogaphy, and motion are top factors in aiding rapid access to a cognitive task. For example, Facebook, a popular social networking website, is continuously drawing in a large number of users. Because of this, they are constantly making little changes in their page's layout in order to make it more convenient for viewers to access the site.


image (URL): "http://cantondog.com/103/more-hate-for-facebook-home-pages-get-new-layout-too/"

Top-Down Processing

      This image is an illusionary example of top-down processing. Here the viewer is able to focus their attention on a certain task that they would like to accomplish. For example, they could center their attention on the "black circles" or on the "white lines" that create the outline of a cube. This creates a biased goal in which whatever the viewer wants to see, they will easily perceive it (Are they really seeing black circles? Are they really seeing a cube?). Also, the image creates a sequence of eye movements. The viewer will most likely try to trace the "white lines" to see if they will create a finishing product (a cube). This design is set as a perceptual illusion.

image (URL): "http://openlearning.wordpress.com/2008/03/07/delightful-illusions/"