We experimented on (i) how do architects vs. non-architects read (scan) an architectural drawing and (ii) how do they restitute the information through sketching and tried to find the relationship between (i) and (ii). The experiment setup included tracking the pupil eye movements of subjects while analyzing a simple floorplan for 20 seconds and restituting the information using a sketch. The captured dataset was then overlaid with the original image to evaluate the results.
With our limited sample set, we concluded that the architect’s eye paths seem to be more structured and global. They appear to perceive drawings as an ensemble. Novices’ scans appear to be disorganized, localized, and overwhelmed by details proceeding from familiar symbols. The novices’ sketches translate their difficulties to hierarchize information, whereas the architects’ sketches reflect care for details and global perception of a spatial concept.
This project was done in collaboration with Renaud and Ege. We used the Pupil Labs eyetracker software and hardware by SMarchS Design and Computation alumni Will Patera and Moritz Kassner.