Clutter detector

The danger of clutter - especially on a visual screen - is that it causes confusion that affects how well we perform tasks.

To that end, visual clutter is a challenge for fighter pilots picking out a target, for people seeking important information in a user interface, and for web site and map designers, among others.

Now, a team of MIT scientists has identified a way to measure visual clutter. Their research could lead to more user-friendly displays and maps, as well as tips for designers seeking to add an attention-grabbing element to a display.

‘We lack a clear understanding of what clutter is, what features, attributes and factors are relevant, why it presents a problem and how to identify it,’ said Ruth Rosenholtz, principal research scientist in MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences (BCS).

The fact that one person's clutter is the next person's organised workspace makes it hard to come up with a universal measure of clutter. Rosenholtz and colleagues modelled what makes items in a display harder or easier to pick out. They used this model, which incorporates data on colour, contrast and orientation, to come up with a software tool to measure visual clutter.