Top-down Processing

 Top-down Processing

Ake Axelsson designed this chair. It is called Wood. The chair is made from solid beech. I chose this because of its simple design. When you approach a chair to sit down, you generally take a quick look at it before hand. You are looking for a purpose, which is the essence of top-down visual processing. Your goal is to sit down in this unfamiliar chair, so you want to make a few observations before you rely on the chairs structure, cleanliness, and surroundings. Your eyes make rapid fixations on the chair and what’s around it. You look at the seat and back rest. Is the chair dirty? Does it have a cushion? How comfortable will it be? Then you might scan the surrounding area. If there is a crazy person sitting in close proximity, you might look for another seat. Once you make these quick observations, you take more time looking at the chair as you approach it. These longer fixations are more in tune with your ultimate goal. The walk up to the chair might reveal something you didn’t see before hand. Maybe the leg of the chair is bent, or you overlooked a piece of gum stuck to the backrest. If these longer fixations don’t turn up anything unsettling, you take the chair as your seat.

Image: 

http://www.decoist.com/2010-11-19/an-amazing-chair-ake-axelssons-wood/