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Category Archives: Design
Eye Tracking Architecture to ‘See’ Human Nature
Humans are remarkable creatures, and a great way to appreciate the hidden aspects of our nature is with eye tracking, a biometric tool that measures how our eyes move to take in our surroundings—often without our conscious awareness or control. … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Design, Eye Tracking, Neuroscience, People-centric Design
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Faces: The Key to Making Happy Places
Do you see faces in these gingerbread cottages in Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard, a popular summer retreat on this island ten miles off the coast of Massachusetts? Does it seem like they are looking at you? Built as part of … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Biology, Design, Neuroscience, People-centric Design
Tagged faces, pareidolia
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The Case Against All-Glass Facades
The pictures tell the story. And make the case. Biometric studies explain why. At left, is a photo of MassArt Design and Media Center, (c. 2016), a public college of applied art in downtown Boston; at right, the George Wythe … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Biology, Design, Eye Tracking, Neuroscience, People-centric Design
Tagged Glass Facades
3 Comments
Empathy in Design: Measuring How Faces Make Places
Since 2015, Ragusa, Sicily has hosted FestiWall, an international art festival devoted to enhancing the public realm and improving citizen engagement with the modern section of an old city. Here are two views of a residential tower before and after … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, City Planning, Design, Eye Tracking, Neuroscience, People-centric Design, STEM
1 Comment
Empathy in Design: Measuring the Impact of Biophilia
Is home your happy place? Does it make you feel warm and welcome? Now that a pandemic has turned our homes into multipurpose spaces that double as offices, gyms, schools, playgrounds and safe havens from a virus, feelings matter more than … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Biology, Design, Eye Tracking, Health, People-centric Design
Tagged Biophilia
2 Comments
The Public Realm: What Cars Took Away + Never Gave Back
Where would you rather be? The main street above or the one below? We’d guess you’ll pick the one most at top, even though these images show the very same street — photographed about 100 years apart! It’s Commonwealth Avenue … Continue reading
Posted in City Planning, Design, People-centric Design, Walkability
Tagged Cars, Green Spaces, Health, Indoor-Outdoor, Public Space, Traffic, Walkability
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How Boston’s Glassy Seaport Fails + Why It Always Will!
A recent article in the Boston Globe Magazine, 15 Things to Love and 11 Things to Loathe about Boston, labels the newest glassy section of the city “soulless” something people “loathe,” calling Boston’s Seaport District a “bland cityscape, a tract of … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, City Planning, Design, Health, Uncategorized
Tagged Design, Facade
13 Comments
Eye-tracking Architecture at Ux+Design/2019 Conference
Thanks to the attendees and presenters at Ux+Design/2019, the 1st International Conference on Urban Experience and Design on April 26 at Tufts University. This conference brought together creative thinkers from around the world who are shaping ‘evidence-based’ design practices, ones … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, City Planning, Design, Eye Tracking, People-centric Design, STEM, Walkability
Tagged Architecture, Design
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‘The Postcard Test’ in Copenhagen + beyond
If you want to know which buildings attract people in cities—head to the postcard rack. The postcard above is from Copenhagen by Danish illustrator, Martin Schwartz, who’s created a series that capture “the soul of a city in a single … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, City Planning, Design, Patterns
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Updates to Our 2018 Art+Science Photo Contest
Our new poster shows the kind of photograph that works well with our Art + Science Photo Project and the resulting heat map. Please take some pictures. Join the fun. Find out what really draws us in with no conscious control. We’ll … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Design, Eye Tracking, People-centric Design, STEM
Tagged Design, Eye Tracking, photo contest
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