Author Archives: Genetics of Design

First Impressions Aren’t What You Think

Last month DWELL published an article called “10 Homes with Distinctive Facades,” that immediately caught our attention. It showed pictures of ten unusual houses, explaining: First impressions are lasting. While these 10 homes have many impressive design features that set them … Continue reading

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Eye-Tracking Cincinnati on-the-fly

Recently in Cincinnati to speak at an AIA Vision event for young architects, I had the opportunity to eye track a local street scene. I shared my findings with the area residents later that evening. Here they are: The photo directly above, … Continue reading

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The ‘Joy’ Graph – Measuring Feelings on the Fly

Does your morning commute spark joy? Probably not, particularly if you exit the subway and face a blank wall. Add some artwork to that facade, however, and your internal joy meter will likely jump! Check out the existing conditions in … Continue reading

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Why Eye Track Architecture? To See How ‘Fixations Drive Exploration’

What happens when you eye track architecture? The City of Somerville provided us with some views of Davis Square to find out. Here’s one picture of an existing building there surrounded by parking. And here’s the same image we photoshopped … Continue reading

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Eye-Tracking Picasso: How We See Art

Eye tracking, often used in web and ad design today, can help us see how we see art. Here’s Femme a la Fenetre, (Woman at a Window) a portrait Picasso painted of his mistress Marie-Thérèse in 1936. (It sold at auction for … Continue reading

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Park Benches Where No One Sits

If the goal of the bench is socialization, safety, scenery and shelter, why do these benches face busy streets, blank walls and parking lots? Continue reading

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Building Relationships

This cartoon by Hilary Price really gets it: We’re built for relationships, so much so that we love looking for and at people all the time and extend this trait to looking at inanimate things that resemble us. We are … Continue reading

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Eye Tracking the ‘Villa’: A First Step toward Understanding How We Experience Architecture

La Villa Rotunda by architect Palladio is, arguably, one of the most significant buildings in architectural history. Designed in the late 16th-century as a country house in Vicenza, Italy for a retiring  cleric, its captivating elevations would go on to … Continue reading

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‘Seeing’ How We Actually Look at Buildings at ABX 2016

Interested in ‘seeing’ your brain subconsiously take in the buildings around you? Then come to our talk Thursday, November 17th, at 1 PM at the Boston Convention Center, part of the ABX 2016 Conference. We’ll be presenting eye-tracking research from our recent … Continue reading

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We See Like an Animal…and that Matters

Eye-tracking tools can help us see how we look out on the world as an animal – and it can help us understand why some buildings catch our attention while others don’t and never will. Check out the photos below: … Continue reading

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