Thinking

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Overview | Understanding thinking | Cognitive processes (4) | Types of thinking (4) | Design guidance (2) | Pop. stats. (2)

Types of thinking

Introduction | Attention | Visual thinking | Verbal thinking

Visual thinking is the ability to perceive and think about visual objects and spatial relationships in two and three dimensions. Some key functions are

  • Filtering and extracting information from the low-level sensory information the eyes receive, to identify and group objects
  • Relating objects and icons to each other according to their spatial position, for example understanding the relationship between the control knobs and the burner positions on a cooker
  • Rotating drawings, symbols or text in two dimensions, or objects in three dimensions
  • Grouping objects according to properties such as their shape, colour or spatial alignment

Visual thinking and other processes develop a perception of shape, using colour, shading, depth and motion. Shapes are then matched to objects in our visual memories. Buttons that share similar functions on a calculator have been designed so that they are perceived as part of the same visual group, thereby making the calculator easier to use.

Grooves in the cooker surface lead from control knobs to each gas hob.

Careful inspection of this cooker top shows a subtle visual link between each knob and the corresponding burner, thereby reducing the spatial ability required to use it