Eye Tracking Architecture: A Pilot Study of Buildings in Boston

This intent of this study is to better understand how people see their world: would eye tracking, a method used in cognitive science, be a useful addition to an architect’s toolkit? What might it tell practitioners and students that is otherwise overlooked? How easy is it to do?

In a collaboration between architecture, interior design, and cognitive science, the researchers conducted an eye tracking study. Results showed how human-centric perception is; no matter the building, viewers tended to seek out people and faces first and focus on them if present. Even architectural renderings with shadow figures of people were viewed differently from those without.