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Illusions Exhibition

Atten-shun!

Visual organisation and the role of visual attention.

The things you’ll need

• The activity images and a large selection of paper shapes (different colours, shapes and sizes).
• Sticky putty or tape

The preparation

Make copies of the images shown and prepare the coloured shapes.

The activities

Part One: Piles of Smiles

Ask your students to draw smiley faces on all but one of the circles and to make that one a grumpy face. Encourage them to be random about where they put the grumpy face. Ask the students to swap their sheet (face down) with a neighbour.

Discuss with your students that there are more than eighty faces and ask them to predict how long it will take them to find the single grumpy one. On the count of three ask your students to turn the pages over and look for the grumpy face. Chances are they will find it much faster than expected.

Discuss how they could draw the faces so as to make finding the grumpy one as easy as possible.

Part Two: Shape Shuffle

Arrange your large selection of paper shapes randomly on a whiteboard and ask the students to see what they notice first.

Then ask them to close their eyes. Arrange the shapes so that four identical objects are next to each other and ask students to open their eyes and tell you what they notice first. Repeat the process, each time rearranging the shapes.

Try these ideas:

A square composed of circles and stars, or alternate rows of stars and circles — it cannot easily be seen as vertical columns of stars and circles.

Can you see a Star of David, or just 2 triangles?

The inside story

The human senses are programmed to respond, to change, such as changes in motion or changes in pattern. This means we tend to notice things which break with a pattern, as they ‘stand out’ more than their surroundings. This can be features of colour, size or grouping. Of course, they don't stand out at all — but the bias in our attention creates an illusion that they do.

Understanding this helps large retailers plan their shops and is important for all types of design. People producing crucial equipment,such as instrument displays for air traffic control, use attention theories to ensure that any danger signs are going to be noticed easily.

The follow-up

• If you can, arrange a visit to a local supermarket and ask the students to see how many tactics are used to attract shoppers’ attention.
• Compile a list of situations where it can be important that danger signals on equipment are noticed quickly.
• Discuss why road signs might look the way they do.
• Discuss why TV advertisements are sent at a higher volume than the regular program — is it only in case we leave the room?