VIRTUAL Barcelona

Abstract

The human eye is the primary receptor for all perceptions related to the design of a space. Using this information to the field’s advantage, design professionals can identify the human’s understanding of a space through the occupant’s visual cues and perception. This is accomplished by attending to the unconscious and conscious needs of the occupant through a space encompassing wellness by means of lighting, color schemes, and spatial planning. This research questions whether a designer is born with the ability to understand the attributes of a space contributing to occupancy wellness, or if a design curriculum modifies the designer’s visual perception. Eye tracking is an increasingly popular research technique being utilized due to its usability and noninvasive techniques. This study compares design and non-design major student’s visual perceptions of wellness in an architectural arrangement to determine what environmental settings they associate with the attribute of wellness in indoor settings. Twelve first-year students voluntarily participated, measuring every eye fixation and time allotted. After viewing each scene, participants were asked to rate the scene on a five-point Lickert scale according to how well the scene promoted wellness and provide an explanation of the rating. The data was then visualized and studied with corresponding fixation and heat maps. Among the findings, design students tended to gauge the entirety of the scene rather than the non-design students that focused on the center horizons of the scene. This study can lead to further research comparing different years and fields of studies between students or professionals.