The Role of Visual Attention in Architectural Design

Although the visual system can process some aspects of the environment efficiently, such as spatial layout, the visual system is quite limited in its ability to process specific details or relationships between elements in the environment. To help users overcome these limitations, the researchers argue that visual cues are critical for guiding attention toward important elements in the built environment, allowing users to understand more complex design goals. They review three examples of design goals that can benefit from attentional guidance, describing architectural techniques that support these goals and highlighting the cognitive and neural mechanisms associated with each technique.