How we change what others think, feel, believe and do

The Progression of Visual Perception

Explanations > Perception > The Progression of Visual Perception

We perceive the world through our five senses remarkably quickly. In fact we have to, as we live in real time and seldom have time to ponder 'what's that?' While the process of perception is very fast, it is not instantaneous. We go through an approximate sequence of perception.

Most notably this is done when we see things, although other senses also use a similar sequence, for example in seeking understanding, boundaries, patterns and coherent units that can be named and understood in relation to other units and the containing context.

• Contrast: The fundamental means of perception.
  • Eye seeks contrast
  • Initial contrast: Something's there.
  • Variables and contrast: Means of sensory identification.
  • Zones of contrast: Possibility of a thing.
  • Blur: repels eye (which seeks sharpness)
  • Dark: Repels eye, danger, mystery, fear, photo edges, vignette
  • Light: Attracts eye, warmth, purity, blinding, burn
• Line: The edge between (boundary, separation)
  • Eye seeks line
  • Eye follows line
  • Seeking the edge
  • Following the edge
  • Projecting the edge (continuation)
  • Connecting edges
  • Separation: lines separate things and areas
  • Types of edge: Lines, curves and angles
  • Intersections and confusion
  • Sharpening photos: forced contrast
• Shape: Finding a thing
  • Mind seeks shape
  • Outline: Boundary of a shape
  • Pattern: Familiarity, repetition, simplicity (inc shapes), ratio, variation, distraction [beethoven 5th]
  • Basic shapes: Easily identified, regular shapes best
  • Surface: Texture (large-scale pattern)
  • Detail: Hue, shading, sub-shapes
• Object: Complete thing
  • Mind identifies object
  • Model: Meaningful thing
  • Name: Identifying the thing
  • Foreground-background contrast: Separating out the main thing.
  • Inter-object contrast: Separating things from one another.
  • Dynamic: Morphing and moving
• Relationships: Connecting objects
  • Mind relates objects
  • Association: Relationships with other things
  • Proximity Relationship: Being closer connects.
  • Similarity Relationship: Being similar connects.
  • Set relationship: Things within and overlapping.
  • Action: Doing the same thing connects.
• Meaning: Sense or nonsense
  • Mind gives meaning
  • Context: Placing it in a broader environment
  • Novelty: Broken and new patterns
  • Threat: Needs and goals.
  • Opportunity: Goals and interests.
  • Values: Personal and social.
  • Colour: What it means to us.
• People: The human side
  • Face recognition: we see faces everywhere
  • Looking: Creates line - we follow gaze.
  • Pointing: We follow the finger.

Note that this is an approximate order and that in practice there may be loops and trials, for example when the outline is perceived the shape may be identified and a trial name given, to be confirmed when more detail is filled in or when it is associated with other shapes.

So what?

When designing visual and other media for use in changing minds consider how they will be understood. Slow down the perception process to see how the person progresses through each stage. Make this process as easy and quick as possible.

An alternative is to deliberately add confusion into the process, for example by making shapes ambiguous. When you make them think, you grab attention, which may then be transferred to the real message you want to put across.

See also

Gestalt Theory