Exercise 3:Gestalt Laws of Pattern Perception. Kristen, Miriam and Iliana

COMMON FATE

The Common fate principle (movement) that determines that when we see something move together, then we see it as a unit.

• For example, imagine a camouflaged military vehicle in the field. When stationary, the vehicle blends in with the background, and the vehicle is difficult to detect. However, the vehicle is easily visible when it moves. We perceive the vehicle, with all its elements moving in unison, as a unitary figure, distinct from its background.

Orientation Sensitivity is visual processing, which occurs when certain line orientations are more quickly and easily detected than others. This strategy of conveying information is based on two phenomena: oblique effect and pop-out effect.
Oblique effect is the phenomena where line orientation is more accurately noted and judged when close to horizontal and vertical orientation, as opposed to oblique.
Pop-out effect is the phenomena where certain elements are perceived quicker and easier when in a display since they tend to pop out as figure elements.

The example to the left is one of the strongest orientation sensitivity effects, which happens when both pop-out and oblique effects are combined. The target element in each case is easily detected as it differs from the rest by 30 degrees of more. The pop-out effect is caused by a change of visual stimuli, which helps detect differences in line orientation and patters. The oblique effect is seen by the perfect orientation of the elements in rows, forming a kind of vertical line orientation.

INTEREFERENCE EFFECTS was posted by Miriam on another post

By: Kristen, Iliana, and Miriam

Gestalt Laws of Pattern Perception - Gio Petrucci

Figure-Ground Relationship
Elements perceived as figures (objects of focus) or ground (rest of perceptual field)

The relationship between the two essentials asserts that people divide visual elements into either category. The relationship can be represented in pictures, and other visual stimuli. When both are clear within a composition, the affiliation is successful. The figure must be better remembered than the ground in order for this to be achieved. How to determine each category:

- figure has shape/ground shapeless
- figure closer/ground continues behind figure

Law of Pragnanz
Interpretation of ambiguous images as simple and complete versus complex and incomplete

The interpretation of ambiguous imagery which has a simple form, simple being with lesser detail or elements, symmetrical rather than asymmetrical compositions. The human mind has been shown to process simple imagery more easily than complex ones. Eliminating parts of a composition make it clearer to the viewer which helps in bringing across the message of the piece.

Proximity
Relativity based on closeness of elements

This Law of Gestalt asserts that when things are closer together they are interpreted as being related. This overwhelms other competing visual elements. For example: ensuring that a label and supporting information is near an element in which it directly explains or refers to enforces the idea of relation between the two.

by Gio Petrucci, Gillian Chen & Kaylyn Frecker

3 Gestalt Properties: Closure, Good Continuation, and Uniform Connectedness!

Closure: Whenever possible, we're inclined to see a group of separate  elements as one identifiable pattern. In our first example, although the picture is made up of 3 individual black shapes, your mind "fills in the blanks" and creates the whole idea of a serpent-like creature moving through water.

Good Continuation: Aligned elements are seen as keeping their set pattern as opposed to deviating from their familiar path suddenly. In example #2, even though the pattern branches off downwardthe viewers eye is still lead curving upwards with the smiley faces.

Uniform Connectedness: The newest and most overpowering  Gestalt principle, it says that elements attached to eachother by uniform visual properties are percieved a one single grouping seen as being more related than elements that are not connected. In our final example, the dots being connected by a similar series of line seem to be all related.

 

-by (in no particular order) Che, Lena, Derek, and Katie

Info from "Universal Principles of design

EXERCISE TWO - MY FIRST VIDEO

Exercise 2 - Joanne

Excercise 2- Shona

Exercise 2 - Lena Hong

Tip for when using iMovie

iMovie doesn't automatically save files... plus when using FX it can CRASH!!!

I learnt the hard way...

Exercise 2:Kristen

Exercise Two: Miriam

YOUTUBE LINK : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbV7bkIlJpM

Exercise 2- Julian Saadeh

PHILIP AMBROSIO

Exercise Two: Make a Music Video

By: Philip Ambrosio

Exercise2DerekRiordan

Exercise 2 - Gio Petrucci

Exercise 2 - Kaylyn Frecker

HOW TO GET 'ER DONE:

Exercise Three: Strategies for Conveying Visual Information

Your group for Project One has been assigned 3 or more examples of strategies derived from the Gestalt Laws of Pattern Perception that can be employed to successfully convey information.



Locate the relevant pages in Universal Principles of Design. In your Project One groups, create a post to the blog that summarizes this strategy for the class. Include at least one example (with a visual) that is not found in Universal Principles of Design. Be prepared to briefly present your post next week.

Exercise Three is due on Sunday, January 20, at 11:59PM. Remember to put the names of your group members in the title of your post.

Presentation: Ethnography

Presentation: Ethnography

Project One Release Form

Project One Release Form

Exercise Two: Make a Music Video, Make a Diagram

The instructions for Exercise Two are as follows. Please read carefully, as there are many steps and a number of deliverables.

1) Locate the source files for the music video, located in TEMPORARY_STORAGE in a folder called "Make a Music Video."

2) Check out the video clips and audio files. You're welcome to use your own video clips and/or audio files, but don't feel like you need to.

3) Open iMovie HD, and save an iMovie Project to your desktop using a title of your choice.

4) Pick the audio file that you want to make a video for. Import it to iMovie HD by drag-and-dropping the file into the bar at the bottom of the iMovie screen. Note that this automatically changes iMovie from "clips viewer" mode to "timeline viewer" mode. You can also do this with the two buttons near the bottom right of the screen.

5) Pick some video clips that you might want to use to make your video. Drag-and-drop them into the "clips" pane at the right of the iMovie screen. From here, you'll drag-and-drop them into the upper bar in the timeline, once you've decided how you want to use them.

6) Make your video! Play around. There are lots of features in iMovie, but some that you'll want to be sure to use/understand include:
-the volume control on the audio clip (select the clip, View>Show Clip Volume Levels, fiddle with the audio "line")
-how to cut the audio clip (place the playhead; Edit>Split Audio Clip at Playhead
-the fact that iMovie measures time in Minutes:Seconds:Frames, and that there are only 30 frames per second
-the fact that some of the video clips have sound in them already, which you may want to control/eliminate (again, select the clip, View>Show Clip Volume Levels, fiddle with the audio "line")
-the editing pane (the button for this is on the bottom right), especially transitions (once in the editing pane, the button for this is on the top right)

7) Keep making your video. Play for about an hour. Learn as much as you can. iMovie is a great tool for making quick videos, and this tool will serve you well for Project One.

8) Remember to save your iMovie project often. iMovie doesn't create a playable file directly - in order to do this, you'll need to perform one last action. Click File>Export, and then select "Web Streaming". This will take a few minutes, and will create a playable Quicktime file, just like the video clips you were given to work with.

9) Upload your video to Youtube, as well as to the course blog.

10) Note that step #9 contains less specific instructions than the previous steps. This is intentional. Your last task is as follows. Draw (by hand!) a diagram that explains the steps required to upload your video to both Youtube and the course blog. Lastly, scan this diagram (there's a scanner in the lab, and the monitor can help you if you've never scanned before) and post it to the blog as well, in the same post as your video. Remember to name and label your post appropriately.

Exercise Two is due on Tuesday, January 22 at 11:59PM.

Exercise Marks

As discussed in class, Exercises will be marked as follows.

1) Each Exercise will be marked out of 1. Adequate completion of an exercise will result in a mark of 1; inadequate completion of an exercise will result in a mark of 0. At Tori and I's discretion, you may receive a mark of 1/2 if you adequately complete some but not all of an Exercise.

2) Exceptional completion of an Exercise will result in a bonus marks. The magnitude of these bonus marks will be at Tori and I's discretion. It is expected that bonus marks will be rare.

3) Exercises will be weighted relative to one another at the end of the term, to reflect their relative time commitment. For example, an Exercise that takes most students 4 hours will be assigned approximately 4 times as much weight as an Exercise that takes most students 1 hour.

4) Exercises constitute 20% of your final grade. With sufficient diligence, all students are capable of being awarded a perfect aggregate score on the Exercises. Bonus marks will not used to elevate your aggregate score beyond perfect.

5) Exercises may not be submitted late for any reason other than a documented illness.

5) You will not receive regular feedback on Exercise results. An anonymous list of aggregate scores to date will be posted to the blog before Week 8.

Please post a comment here if you have any questions about Exercises.

Exercise Zero - Andrea

Hello! My name is Andrea Manica. I know how to use Photoshop, Microsoft Word, and kind of know Illustrator, CorelDraw, Flash and InDesign. And I know MS Paint. I'm pretty good with learning new programs. I like technology. I'm in graphic design.

An earful by Dennis Hong and David McInerney

Definitions
Ear – 1. the organ of hearing and balance in humans 2. the faculty for discriminating sounds.
Hearing – the faculty of perceiving sounds. 2. the range within which sounds may be heard.
Decibel – a unit expressing the intensity of sound.
(Oxford Canadian Dictionary of Current English, Oxford University Press, 2005)

How the Ear works
1. There are three main areas: the outer, middle and inner ear.
2. The outer ear (the part we see), is located from the ear canal to the ear drum, and catches sound in a form of sound wave.
3. The middle ear then turns that wave into a vibration.
4. Vibrations are then passed to the small bones of the middle ear, which transmit the vibrations to the hearing nerve of the inner ear.
5. The vibrations become nerve impulses and go directly to the brain, which interprets the impulses as sound.
(http://www.entnet.org/healthinfo/ears/ear.cfm)


(Source - http://www.vestibular.org/images/ear_diagram_lg.gif)

What did you say? Could you please repeat - LOUDER?!?!

Our ears are very sensitive, complex organs that we must consider when designing for the human experience. Everyday tasks such as listening to an MP3 player, working in shops with loud machinery, crossing a busy street, going to a nightclub or concert, catching a plane or riding the subway; may all cause long-term damage to your ability to be able to hear.

A decibel (dB) is a unit of measurement that indicates the relative amplitude of a sound. The zero on the decibel scale is based on the lowest sound level that the healthy, unimpaired human ear can detect. Sound levels in decibels are calculated on a logarithmic basis. An increase of ten decibels represents a ten-fold increase in acoustic energy, while 20 decibels is 100 times more intense, 30 decibels is 1,000 times more intense etc. Below is a table that shows the intensity of various activities on our ears.


(Source www.ci.redwood-city.ca.us/cds/planning/precise/pdf/ISND/AppendixCNoiseReport.pdf)

The Nose and How We Smell

By Diandra, Patirica, Jennie and Julian



In order to smell, we first have to inhale molecules. These molecules can come from anything, but are usually from objects that have a high molecular volatility – that is they shed their outer molecules into the air inside of being bound. Inside your nose a patch of neurons that are exposed to air inside the nasal cavity, unlike other neuron endings in your body. They have small cilia covering them, which then capture the drifting molecules that you inhale and cause the smell sensation.

Each receptor and cilia is designed to react to a specific molecular and chemical composition. There are several conflicting theories about how exactly the olfactory (smell) sense works. Some posit that neurons and receptors are keyed to acknowledge a specific feature in the chemical compound they absorb, however Vibration theory operates under the assumption that the receptors can actually tell the oscillation of the electrons inside the molecular structure.

Humans tend to have a relatively weak sense of smell compared to similarly sized mammals, and have the least sensitive sense of smell out of all primates.

Gilad Y, Man O, Pääbo S, Lancet D (2003) Human specific loss of olfactory receptor genes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 100:3324–3327.
Turin, Luca. (1996). A spectroscopic mechanism for primary olfactory reception. Chemical Senses, 21, 773-791.

Buck, Linda and Richard Axel. (1991). A Novel Multigene Family May Encode Odorant Receptors: A Molecular Basis for Odor Recognition. Cell 65:175-183.

An EXTREMELY Detailed Description of Taste, by: Derek, Che, Katie, and Lena

So you don't know what taste is? Well I'll friggin' tell you what it is!

Taste refers to the ability to detect the flavour of substances such as food and poisons, and is one of the traditional five senses. First off, there are five (not four) sensation types: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and the most recently identified "umami", which refers to savoury tastes. Inside your mouth are what are known as taste buds, each one a tiny collection of cells designed to pick up the flavour of the food you are chewing. Humans are born with about 10,000 of these sensory organs, and your body replaces them about every two weeks.

Here is a basic model to show what goes on when you taste. First, your taste buds have to be exposed to something such as food or drink. Contact with the food or drink stimulates your taste buds, which send a signal to your brain that it's time to taste. The brain then distinguishes between the five sensation types. Taste buds that are sensitive to the specific sensations will send signals along special encoded nerves straight to the brain. The brain then receives the signal from the taste buds and recognizes them as flavours. The brain remembers the flavours you've tasted before. If the flavour you taste is a new one, the brain will store it in your memory so it can be recognized in the future.

A common misconception of taste is the so-called "tongue map". The notion that the tongue is mapped into four areas - sweet, salty, sour, bitter - is wrong. There are five basic tastes that have been identified, and the entire tongue can sense all of these tastes more or less equally. This myth is generally attributed to the mistranslation of a German text, and perpetuated in North American schools since the early twentieth century.

Sources:

Moss, Meg. How Do We TASTE? December 2004. Ask Magazine. January 14, 2008.

Wanjek, Christopher. The Tongue Map: Tasteless Myth Debunked. August 29, 2006. Live  Science. January 14, 2008 

 

Touch- by Joanne and Shona

Here is what our crack team of researchers discovered about how the sense of touch works:

Stimulus is sensed through the skin by a nerve ending located in the 2nd layer of our skin, callled the dermis. The stimulation of the nerve creates an electrical impulse that runs down the nerve to the central nervous system located in the spinal cord (missing from the mental model we drew on the board last week). From there the signal travels up the spinal cord to the cerebral cortex in the brain where it is interpreted.
The electrical impulse created from touching something rough is different from the electrical impulse created by something smooth, and hence the brain can distinguish between the two. There are different kinds of receptors to sense different sorts of stimuli. Heat, cold, heavy pressure and light pressure, are all sensed by different types of nerve endings. An overstimulation of any one of these nerve receptors will be registered as something between tickle, itch or pain.
Other fun facts:
-the parts of the body with the most nerve endings are: tongue, lips, face, neck, fingertips, hands and feet.
-the least amount of nerve endings are found in the middle of the back.
-somatic sense: more complete term used in medicine that describes the sense of touch described above, but also includes the sensations we have of the inside of our bodies, such as muscle movement, joint position and stomachaches.

Sources:
"mechanoreception." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 13 Jan. 2008 <http://search.eb.com/eb/article-64717>.
http://library.thinkquest.org/3750/touch/touch.html