How do we take in our world? Like the animals we are, of course; that’s what 3M Visual Attention Software (VAS), reveals quickly. Developed by 3M vision scientists in 2011, VAS became a Plug-in for Photoshop in 2020, and we see it as valuable for designers of all stripes. Upload any image to this AI tool, and in less than a minute, you’ll learn what immediately gets attention.

Take the Kellogg’s Raisin Bran box, above – VAS analysis show nothing about its design is arbitrary – at all! The Visual Sequence Diagram, top left, shows where people likely focus pre-attentively (without conscious awareness or control) indicating where they look first, second, third + fourth. The Regions of Interest (or Hot Spots), in center, the areas focused on as a percentage, and the Heatmap, at right, aggregating the data, glowing reddest in areas most looked at, then fading to yellow and blue where attention diminishes, showing black in areas ignored. We see here how the smiling sun effectively brings attention to the box, which makes sense, given the human evolutionary bias for focusing on faces and direction of gaze.

Applied to Architecture, 3M VAS is equally revealing, suggesting why some buildings are frequently on tour bus stops, such as the Harvard Lampoon Building, c. 1909, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Note how its windows and doors glow red, in the heatmap, at right, indicating they instantly draw attention. No surprise, tourists stop to take photos and selfies here!

Applied to analyze public buildings, MassArt in Boston, c. 2016, and the historic George Wythe house in Richmond Virginia, c. 1754, above, VAS suggests how the front door in the old building will be easiest for the public to find, in this study by BAC student Becky Chen. Note how the Visual Sequence Diagram starts on the door of the old building, while the first fixation is on the roof of the newer one (!) and how the front door of historic structure glows red, while the Heatmap of the modern building is bathed in black and blue. VAS suggests here how first glance ‘fixations’ are foundational for the architectural experience. (Something our nonprofit, theHapi.org, is interested in further exploring; let us know your thoughts!)

To learn more about these pilot studies, check out the Poster below, presented at the ANFA 2025 Conference in California, this month! (Click to enlarge)