Lab 4 - Part 3 - Perception, Attention & Memory

3. Visual Perception

i. Overall result

Overall the test said I have a brain age of 35, I suppose this is good as I am 40 years old.

ii. Strategy

To try remember the order I counted as the balls bounced, this helped me remember the sequence.

4. Visual Memory

a. Overall result

Overall I got a score of 15700, or to Level 11/20

b. Gestalt Principles

I tried to use the Gestalt principles, grouping certain boxes together to remember their location.

c. Interaction Designer

I found the article on Gestalt principles highly insightful. It explained how the grouping, layout, and use of colour in design can significantly influence how users perceive and interact with an interface. I plan to apply these principles when designing my own interfaces to create more intuitive and visually cohesive user experiences.

5. Attention and Working Memory

a. Selectiveness of memory

I saw the gorilla... the issue here is that I was an internet user when this video did the rounds 15 years ago, so I knew that there would be a gorilla.

b. Relevance to usability

The Selective Attention Test shows how inattentional blindness works: when people focus on counting basketball passes, many fail to notice a person in a gorilla suit walking through the scene. This illustrates a core UX lesson, seeing does not equal noticing.

What the test shows

Humans filter information to concentrate on a current goal. Anything deemed irrelevant—no matter how obvious may go unseen.

What this shows about usability

  • Users focus narrowly on goals: With a specific task in mind (e.g., find a form, buy a product), users may overlook other on-screen elements.
  • Banner blindness & inattentional blindness: Ads, popups, and sidebars, sometimes even helpful panels, are often ignored if they don’t match the user’s immediate goal.
  • Need for clear visual hierarchy: Critical actions and information must be visually prominent and placed where users expect, or they’ll be missed.
  • Test with real users: Creators know where to look; users don’t. Usability tests reveal missed cues and confusion caused by selective attention.
  • Avoid overload: Too many competing elements increase cognitive load and the chance that important items go unnoticed. Keep interfaces focused.

Summary

The Selective Attention Test reminds designers that users notice what they’re already looking for. If something is important, make it visually and contextually obvious.

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