Abstract

Since the brain cannot process multiple visual objects simultaneously, attention mechanisms guide decision-making. The integration of attention mechanism and visual-attention strategy is the key to promoting effective and efficient cognition, and its operation affects the formation of visual thinking. However, in the study of visual-design thinking, it is rarely systematically linked with attention theory, thus ignoring the role of the attention mechanism, visual-attention strategy, and the task framework of attention mechanism to the theoretical construction of visual-design practice. In this article, cognitive psychology theory and legend analysis are adopted to provide three research contributions. First, the relationship and operation mode of the two attention mechanisms are clarified, which lays the theoretical foundation for the task cycle analysis of visual attention. Second, the article analyzes the distribution level and relationship of spatial, feature, and object attention and defines the visual thinking model formed by each of the three attention strategies. Finally, aiming at the four tasks of attention operation, the article links the value of the three visual-attention strategies; analyzes the visual-design thinking based on the formation-selection, continuity, inhibition-enhancement, and distribution of visual attention; and explores the underlying logic of the system for the application of practical theory.