Category Archives: STEM

Architecture that grabs us? It’s on the supermarket shelf!

Posted on February 7, 2022 by Genetics of Design

It’s fascinating to see how billion-dollar retailers seriously consider client feelings in the built environment – including ones not widely acknowledged, like the power of car-free streets and old architecture to make people feel safe and happy – to drive sales of things that have nothing to do with buildings at all. Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Biology, Design, faces, Health, Patterns, STEM, Walkability | Leave a comment

Students Changing Design with Biometrics

Posted on May 20, 2021 by Genetics of Design

Welcome to the New Age of Biology where students familiar with biotech tools change design outcomes. That’s what happened this spring, when architecture students at Catholic University of America, suggested changes to a new dining hall on campus and used biometric … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Biology, Design, Education, Eye Tracking, Health, Neuroscience, People-centric Design, STEM | 4 Comments

How an Apple Store Grabs You … Subliminally

Posted on March 22, 2021 by Genetics of Design

Apple reached a $2 trillion market valuation last summer, a clear marker of its tech prowess. But when you look at its retail store design, you see the company also excels at something else entirely: understanding people—and how to capture … Continue reading →

Posted in Design, Neuroscience, People-centric Design, STEM | Leave a comment

Empathy in Design: Measuring How Faces Make Places

Posted on June 21, 2020 by Genetics of Design

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 | 2 Comments

Why Buildings Need ‘Eyes’

Posted on November 13, 2019 by Genetics of Design

As a social species, we are built to see eyes, so we look for them all the time — everywhere — without conscious awareness or control. When we find them, they grab our attention, anchoring us in space, securing us … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Eye Tracking, STEM | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

‘Ux+Design’ Conference Take-aways: Biometrics Can Tell Us a lot about Buildings …and Ourselves

Posted on May 8, 2019 by Genetics of Design

A good turnout at the 1st International Urban Experience and Design (Ux+Design/2019) conference at Tufts last month, which drew architects, planners, researchers and students from around the world interested in improving the built environment and better understanding our responses to … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Biology, City Planning, Eye Tracking, STEM, Walkability | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Eye-tracking Architecture at Ux+Design/2019 Conference

Posted on April 18, 2019 by Genetics of Design

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 , | Leave a comment

Updates to Our 2018 Art+Science Photo Contest

Posted on April 17, 2018 by Genetics of Design

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 , , | Leave a comment

O-x-y-t-o-c-i-n: The 8-letter Word Every Architect Should Know

Posted on April 1, 2018 by Genetics of Design

What are attributes of great design? It draws the eye. And you delight in taking it in—no matter your age, background or the times you live in. The buildings wordlessly beckon. But how? Turns out to understand why great buildings … Continue reading →

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Our 2018 Art+Science Photo Contest

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Genetics of Design

We’re thrilled to announce our grant from the Acton-Boxborough Cultural Council (ABCC) for a unique art + science study of two Massachusetts towns. This study uses photography, biometric tools and new findings in neuroscience to show how our unconscious behaviors govern … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, City Planning, Design, Eye Tracking, People-centric Design, STEM, Walkability | Tagged | Leave a comment