Speaker: Kirren Chana @kirren
Affiliation: University of Vienna
Title: Reading in the City: in everyday life
Abstract (long version below): The sheer number of reading experiences encountered by an individual on a daily basis in ecologically valid settings is surprisingly often overlooked in research and little is known about the extent to which reading is meaningfully distributed in our lives. The research conducted in this project aims to assess how attention is divided to readable objects of any kind, and to specific reading occurrences when people walk along a city street. At the same time, this project also studies how aesthetic value (another variable known to attract attention) affects the perception and memorability of text in everyday life.
IGEL_Poster_KirrenChana.pdf (1.8 MB)
Long abstract
This poster presentation will provide an overview of a PhD project on natural reading experiences and graphic/textual elements in urban spaces.
In everyday life, perception is a powerful tool that guides us through our complex environments and, by controlling our attention, directs us toward relevant, interesting events and objects. In a figurative sense, the way in which people engage with and assimilate their surroundings requires what can be regarded as ‘reading the city’. In a narrower sense and also as the essence of signs for reading, text is omnipresent - it is almost, if not, impossible to walk through a city without reading. Nevertheless, despite this importance and relevance of visual attraction by many signs, and specifically reading in our daily lives, the sheer number of reading experiences encountered by an individual on a daily basis in ecologically valid settings (e.g., street environment, etc.) is surprisingly often overlooked in research and little is known about the extent to which reading is meaningfully distributed in our lives.
Through the research conducted in this project, we aim to bridge this gap by assessing how attention is divided to readable objects of any kind, and to specific reading occurrences when people walk along a city street. At the same time, this project also studies how aesthetic value (another variable known to attract attention) affects the perception and memorability of text in everyday life.
Two field studies begin to address these points empirically by identifying natural occurrences of reading in urban street settings and subsequent evaluations of particular texts that are present in these spaces. Specifically, this research investigates which text people look at when walking in everyday streets using mobile eye-tracking. Further, we test if the hypotheses that objects, that are rated highly for their aesthetic value, are looked at for longer and better remembered extends to text signs. Additionally, a more in-depth exploration of text signs that are present in street environment is undertaken through follow-up settings, with more controlled laboratory-based settings to complement the field study findings and identify features of text that might affect attentional demands.
Finally, given this exploration of text through the lens of aesthetics, a scoping review is carried out on the aesthetics of urban human-made components. With this, we identify what components of the urban environment have been considered in past studies and how they have been aesthetically evaluated. In addition to the field and lab studies, conducting this review allows us to consider the broader concept of ‘urban aesthetics’ and where the study of text/reading fits within this. From this, we may also identify possible elements (i.e., formal properties) that were overlooked or should be investigated further with regard to text signs.
Data will be collected and analysed before the IGEL conference and results will be discussed during the poster presentation.